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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - Montgomery County District Attorney's Office says a man has been sentenced to prison after exposing himself in front of a young girl at a mall.
James Andrew Flygare has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of Indecency With A Child by Exposure.
According to court documents, on May 4, 2022, at The Woodlands Mall, Flygare is seen on surveillance watching a 7-year-old girl and approaching her when she is away from her mother. He then tapped the girl on her shoulder and exposed his genitals to her while the girl's mother was only five steps away and had just turned her back.
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"Five steps and eleven seconds is all that it took for this Defendant to act and expose a child to something she never should have been subjected to," said Assistant District Attorney Erica Ortega. "Fortunately, an amazing mom had previously taken the time to teach her child about Stranger Danger, and it is because of that her daughter knew to get away, get to mom, and stop this man from doing it again."
The 7-year-old has learned from her mother about personal safety and ease educated on what parts of the body no one should see or show her and let her mother know immediately if something happened, authorities said in their release.
James Andrew Flygare (Courtesy of Montgomery County District Attorney's Office)
The young girl let her mother know immediately who then contacted law enforcement. MCDAO said bystanders made a barrier at the store door until authorities arrived so Flygare couldn't leave.
Flygare was found guilty by a jury after they heard evidence and saw the surveillance video.
Judge Patty Maginnis heard evidence from another young lady who testified, saying Flygare has a habit of frequenting the mall and making her uncomfortable. The young woman said to officials, he came to the mall every Wednesday into the area where she worked and would blow her kissing and flick his tongue at her.
According to MCDAO, the young woman reported Flygare multiple times to mall security and sentenced him to seven years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. After he's out, he must then register for an additional ten years as a sex offender.
"It's the James Flygares of the world who require all of us to band together with vigilance to protect our precious children," stated DIstrict Attorney Brett Ligon. "I’m particularly grateful to this alert and attentive mother who acted quickly and decisively, to the other Montgomery County citizens who acted to prevent Flygare’s escape, to Children’s Safe Harbor for the subsequent investigation, and to the judge and jury who ultimately held him accountable."