PROVO, Utah - A Provo man is facing serious charges after police say he exposed himself in front of young children over the weekend and then pepper sprayed their father.
German Mosso and his young family just moved into their Provo neighborhood a few months ago.
"We just bought our first house and one of the main reasons we moved there is because of the neighborhood because it seemed so safe and secure," said Mosso.
Safe and secure is not how Mosso would describe his neighborhood this past weekend. While his two kids, ages seven and eleven, were playing in the front yard, he noticed Gabriel Carmigniani skateboarding across the street.
"I just kept looking at him because he kept staring at my kids," said Carmigniani.
Then the unthinkable happened.
Mosso says Carmigniani exposed himself and started performing a lewd act right in front of his kids.
"I saw him. That's why I started chasing him," said Mosso.
While Mosso chased him down, his wife called 911. When he finally caught up to him, Mosso says he was pepper sprayed at least three times.
"The only thing he said is that he was sorry and he would never do it again," said Mosso.
That's when Provo police arrived. While they were taking the suspect into custody, they realized he’d been interacting with children regularly, because he was employed as a crossing guard at Lakeview Elementary.
Since crossing guards are officially part-time employees of the Provo Police Department, the Utah County Sheriff's Department has taken over the case.
"He was not acting in his capacity as a crossing guard at the time this incident occurred. It’s still a major concern," said Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
Cannon says Carmigniani has been fired, but Mosso questions how he got hired in the first place.
"They really need to take the job more seriously and do a better background check and have a professional interview just to see if they’re fit for that kind of job," said Mosso.
Carmigniani is still in jail being held on $2,500 cash bail. He's facing four charges including lewdness involving a child and assault.
