Crime & Safety

Police: Known Sex Offender Urinates in Store

Police said man made sexual remarks to employee while he tried on a dress

A 61-year-old Newark man allegedly urinated on himself, touched himself “in the front and back” and made sexual remarks to an employee inside a Kinnelon store, police said Tuesday.

William E. Rhode III was charged Monday morning with criminal sexual contact, lewdness and criminal mischief following an incident at the Mandee clothing store.

Employees said Rhode had entered the store wearing long underwear bottoms and a blue T-shirt. The employees said Rhode had allegedly urinated himself and was asking for help trying on a dress.

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While a female employee gave Rhode a dress to try on, police said the employee reported he asked the female to stay outside the dressing room so that he could show her the dress when he had it on. The employee then told her manager to call police. Police said they later discovered that he defecated in his pants.

Police said Rhode allegedly gave the dress back to the employee and stated it did not fit, at which time he allegedly had an explicit conversation with the employee and proceeded to touch himself. Police said he showed the employee that he had urinated on himself. Police said Rhode then asked the employee for her phone number and fled the store.

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Police located Rhode in the parking lot and arrested him Monday shortly before noon. He was sent to the Morris County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Kinnelon police said they have arrested Rhode two other times for similar behavior in the past, including an arrest in 2002 for an incident at the  and in 2004 for an incident at the , and that he has been arrested by several other surrounding law enforcement agencies.

Lt. John Schwartz said in 2002, Rhode walked into Apple Montessori following a couple who was buzzed in through the security door. Schwartz said Rhode inquired about a job and then proceeded to defecate in his pants. In the 2004 incident, police also said he defecated in his pants while speaking to a court clerk.

"We know he gets sexual pleasure from this," Schwartz said.

Schwartz said Rhode allegedly takes the bus to Kinnelon and that he had taken the bus on Monday. He also said Rhode may have been living in a homeless shelter in Newark.


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