Man exposes himself to girls

A school alert was sent out to parents and school officials after two incidents occurred this week in which a man exposed himself to young girls.

At approximately 4 p.m. on Tuesday, a man in a bluish-green passenger van who was wearing a red shirt and no pants exposed himself to a 9-year-old girl in the 1000 block of the Lakeville Resort Apartments. The girl ran away, and the man drove off in an unknown direction, said Sgt. Andrew Urton of the Petaluma Police Department.

The girl described the man as being in his 20s, with brown hair. She said that the van had several scratches on it, and tinted windows, except for the front driver and passenger windows.

At around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, two 8-year-old girls were playing at La Tercera Elementary School, at 1600 Albin Way, which was closed for Easter break, when a man drove up in a blue van, with a sliding glass door.

He waved to them to get their attention, and they saw that he was wearing a T-shirt and no pants. The girls fled from the area, and the suspect drove away, Urton said.

The girls described him as a white male adult, 25 to 30 years old, with dark hair. He had no facial hair, and was clean shaven.

A school alert was sent out because of the circumstances of the incidents, their similarity and their close proximity to schools. The alert advised parents and school officials to be on the lookout for any similar vehicles matching the descriptions the girls provided, Urton said.

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call the Petaluma Police Department at 778-4372.