Center City

Man Accused of Exposing Himself on Schuylkill Trail Has History of Lewdness, Exposure: Court Records

A man arrested for allegedly exposing his genitals and performing a lewd act on himself along the Schuylkill River Trail on Saturday was supposed to appear in court for a hearing on indecent exposure charges on Friday, court documents show.

Police arrested Salin Smalley, 34, of 18th Street near Tasker in Point Breeze, Saturday morning shortly after another man reported spotting a man -- later identified as Smalley -- lying along the trail with his pants down, partaking in a lewd act. Smalley faces charges of indecent exposure, open lewdness and harassment in the latest incident.

Court records show that Smalley was scheduled to appear in court Friday on the same charges in connection with a May 31, 2014 incident, but that his hearing was continued. Smalley's court docket entry for Friday reads, "defendant is active in treatment," and a number of entries in his court documents show that a judge ordered that the man undergo mental-health treatment. His next court date in that case is scheduled for June 27.

Smalley was convicted in 2003 of open lewdness for an incident that occurred May 30, 2003, court records show. For that charge, a judge sentenced the man to three to six months in jail.

He also has a history of other arrests for offenses including assault, theft and robbery, but most of his cases did not end in convictions, the records show.

In his latest case, Smalley was arraigned Sunday and is being held on $10,000 bail. He's scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on Wednesday.

On the morning of Smalley's arrest, a separate witness also reported seeing another man along the Schuylkill River Trail with his genitals exposed and performing a lewd act on himself, police said. That man remains on the loose.

The second man, whom a woman spotted in the area of John F. Kennedy Boulevard, fled onto JFK when she saw him, she told police. He's described as being a stocky Hispanic man in his late 30s to early 40s with black hair. He wore a gray jacket and carried a backpack.

The trail has been plagued with crimes in the past, including robberies and assaults. The incidents prompted a group of concerned citizens to band together to try to make the trail safer, installing mile markers so that when people call police for help, they're able to tell them their exact location.

Tipsters should contact police at 215-686-8477 or text a tip to PPD TIP (773847) with any information on the second man.

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