A top Georgia cop was arrested for exposing himself to a male bicycle cop in an Atlanta park known as a hotspot for soliciting gay sex.
Police said DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey Mann was arrested after he exposed himself in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park on Saturday night.
The area of Piedmont Park is known as a gay cruising spot where the woods are littered with used condoms.
According to a police incident report, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the part of the park is known for “sexual acts after dark.”
Mann reportedly exposed himself to a bicycle cop as he was walking toward him.
Once he got within 10 feet, the officer shined his flashlight and identified himself as police. But Mann took off running across busy 10th street and into oncoming traffic.
Mann paused to tie his shoelaces and then sprinted off again when the cop caught up to him. He eventually stopped running about a quarter mile from the park.
The sheriff asked if he could retrieve his identification from his car and for the arresting officer to contact his supervisor.
In his report, the officer noted he found a condom inside Mann’s pocket.
After bonding out of jail on Sunday, the sheriff told Channel 2 Action News that he appreciates the Atlanta PD and wanted to clear up a “misunderstanding”.
DeKalb Commissioner Nancy Jester said the news of Mann’s arrest was “embarrassing” to the county.
“It is embarrassing,” Jester said. “It’s certainly not a good headline for DeKalb County.”
Commissioner Greg Adams, a former DeKalb police officer, said he stands by Sheriff Mann and trusts his ability to run the department.
“Being a police officer, I know first-hand that things can be misconstrued,” Adams said. “I hope there was a misinterpretation. I’m sorry it happened to him, but as it stands I trust his ability to lead the county forward as sheriff.”
