From the top left in a clockwise direction, the images include a Safeway in San Francisco, Calif. on September 13, 2018 (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP), Stephen Masalta's booking photo (Larimer County Jail), and a GoogleMaps image of the Safeway in Colorado where Masalta used to work and is accused of exposing himself.
A former employee of Safeway, a grocery store in Colorado already facing charges for more than a dozen counts of indecent exposure after allegedly masturbating in public, is now accused of committing obscene acts on food items that the police say were not properly sealed at his former workplace.
Stephen Masalta is currently being held in a jail in Larimer County and is scheduled to appear before a judge on Friday for an advisement hearing, as per a review of the criminal court docket.
In a statement from the City of Fort Collins, Colorado, police stated that they began investigating reports of indecent exposure by an individual engaging in lewd behavior at local coffee shops, sometimes in the presence of employees, including minors.
Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda explained in an update to the case against Masalta on Thursday that since his arrest in February and the execution of a search warrant at his home, investigators discovered videos showing Masalta masturbating and ejaculating on food at the Safeway located at 1426 East Harmony Road.
“Upon reviewing the evidence, we realized that there were many more offenses and victims in our community,” Swodoba said on Thursday.
Masalta worked there for two months and
There is no doubt that more victims will be identified, and more charges will be filed, stated the police chief.
Masalta has been charged with 14 misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, two counts of attempted indecent exposure (also misdemeanors), four counts of attempted unlawful sexual contact (misdemeanors), and 16 counts of attempted sexual assault on a child.
It is unclear whether he has hired a lawyer.
Safeway did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.