ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — A Robertsdale man facing indecent exposure charges turned himself in to police Tuesday afternoon at his father’s home in Robertsdale.

Robertsdale Police had been searching for Stegall, who was being sought for exposing himself Friday, Feb. 12 to two 14-year-old females in the parking lot of a Robertsdale drug store along Highway 59.

“We received a call (from Stegall) saying that he was at his dad’s house and wanted us to come pick him up,” said Sgt. Rex Bishop of the Robertsdale Police Department.

Robertsdale Police arrested Stegall without incident about 4 p.m. Tuesday, Bishop said. Stegall was charged with two counts of indecent exposure in connection with the incident.

This is not the first time Stegall has been sought on such charges.

“He’s been doing this for 15 or 20 years,” said Bishop.

According to records from the Baldwin County Corrections Center, Stegall has been arrested on similar offenses since 1991. Because of current state law, someone convicted of “indecent exposure” can only be sentenced to six months to a year in a county jail. Bishop says this is true even if Stegall is convicted of exposing himself to the minors.

According to a Baldwin Times story,“In July 1994, he was sentenced to seven, consecutive, one-year prison terms for indecent exposure.”

Stegall had recently been convited in connection with a Jan. 13 incident near Interstate 10 in Loxley.

One of his victims, “Angie” (he name has been changed to protect her privacy) recently recounted her story to The Independent.

Angie and a female friend were returning to Angie’s home in Mobile County. They stopped for gas near Interstate 10 in Loxley.

“There were two other women pumping gas,” Angie recalled. The was a pickup truck facing the opposite way from Angie’s vehicle, facing 59 at the same set of pumps with a man in the driver’s seat. According to Angie, “His truck was at the first line of pumps and I was at the second line of pumps.”

“I really didn’t think anything of it. I thought perhaps his passenger had gone into the store to pay. He said something, but with the traffic noise, I could not hear him that well. I thought he was asking directions. I came closer to hear him better.”

When Angie came near the truck, the man exposed himself and made an explicit suggestion.

Angie ran from the truck toward the store, calling for someone to call 911. She also paused after getting away from the truck, to find a pen in her purse and jot down the truck’s license plate number.

“I was terrified,” she said.

Loxley police responded to the call, and because Angie was able to give officers the license number of the truck and a description of the driver, Stegall was apprehended quickly. Stegall was tried Feb. 4. He was convicted, but has appealed his case.

While testifying to an embarrassing incident can be difficult, Angie credits Loxley police and court personnel with handling the situation sensitively.

But hearing Stegall’s extensive record of such crimes made Angie determined that this would not happen again. According to records from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, Stegall has been arrested on similar offenses since 1991.

“I realized how many time the guy had done this,“ said Angie. “He gets to sit on his hands and eat three meals a day.”

Angie has already spoken to her local legislators and wants to get the law changed so repeated “indecent exposure” charges can become more than a misdemeanor. Currently, those convicted of the “Class A” misdemeanor serve 6 to 12 months in a county jail.

She would like to see people convicted of “indecent exposure” multiple times have to serve a longer jail sentence as a felon and register as a sex offender so local law enforcement will know of these individuals. She is circulating a petition, available at area stores.

Angie also hopes that people will call their local legislators and ask that the law be changed.