NORFOLK, Va. - A community in Norfolk took action to put a sex offender behind bars.
Police said they could not have made an arrest without the help of Norfolk citizens.
Andrew Hund, owner of Hund's Recycle Shop, spends a lot of time waving to people who pass by his bike shop on the 4900 block of Colley Avenue.
Hund said he became suspicious of a man he saw repeatedly riding by his shop on a bike.
“He would never wave. He was in his own little world,” said Hund.
Hund said he also saw spotted the same man at a race he took his 10-year-old son to in the Larchmont neighborhood.
He said something seemed out of place.
“He was communicating with some children, and they didn’t really seem like they knew him,” said Hund.
Norfolk Police released a video last week of a suspect on a bike.
They said on October 3 around 5 p.m., the man exposed himself to kids near St. Patrick Catholic School in the Larchmont section of the neighborhood before taking off on a bike. No children were injured during the incident.
“As a father, a citizen of this community, I felt sick just hearing about him,” said Hund.
Hund took to Facebook and began to speak to people in the community.
“My cousin Nick recognized him,” said Hund. “We were able to track him down with community policing, Facebook, police department from Old Dominion, police department and Detective Jones, specifically.”
36-year-old Jeremy Watson-Buisson was arrested on Saturday and accused of exposing himself on a school playground and going onto school property as a known sex offender.
Norfolk Police said they received assistance from the public. This is part of a statement they issued:
This could not have been done without the collaborative efforts of so many involved to include:
St. Patrick’s Catholic School’s Security Personnel and Administration
Vigilant parents and residents of the Norfolk Communities
Crime Line Tipsters
EOC (Dispatchers) generating the calls for service regarding individuals matching the description via BOLO’s
ODUPD patrol officers and investigative unit
3rd Patrol Officers (CRO’s, Uniform Patrol, etc.)
Detective Division Special Crimes Unit / General Assignment Section
Norfolk’s PIO Office
News media outlets
Social media
And many more…..
Watson is being held in the Norfolk City Jail without bond.
