Editor’s note:The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office on May 16, 2017, decided not to press charges against Korey Allen Spates.

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City police have accused a former college basketball standout of inappropriately touching himself while inside the children’s department at the Macy’s store at the Boynton Beach Mall, according to an arrest report.

Korey Allen Spates, 29, is facing a charge of lewd and lascivious behavior. He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail late Tuesday after posting $10,000 bail.

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Spates, a native of Cleveland who lives in Deerfield Beach, is a former high school basketball sensation in Ohio who averaged 10 points as a freshman at Purdue University in 2006 before he was kicked off the team.

Boynton Beach police say that Spates was seen Monday at about 8:30 p.m. inside Macy’s with his hands in his pants "displaying eye movements toward customers." Children were in the area while Spates was allegedly touching himself during a 10-minute period.

When store security approached Spates, he ran away and was finding hiding behind bushes near the mall’s Dillard’s store.

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After his arrest, Spates denied the accusations and told police he was just "scratching" himself, the report said. After being advised of his rights, Spates allegedly admitted becoming aroused after staring at a store employee.

Spates, who played guard, was runner-up for Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 2004 as a high school junior and accepted a scholarship to Purdue. He failed to last his freshman season at the Lafayette, Ind., school after being dismissed for "conduct detrimental to the team."

In 2007, Spates landed at Kent State but was released from his scholarship reportedly after a conflict with the team’s coach.

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