A previously convicted sex offender was arrested Wednesday morning based on allegations he exposed himself near a minor who was asleep at the time.
Timothy Neal Watts, 37, who lists a Springwood Road address, was arrested around 9:15 a.m. on a felony warrant for sexual indecency with a child, punishable by up to six years in prison. He remained in custody Thursday in lieu of a $2,500 bond and is set to appear Sept. 18 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, on Aug. 16, Hot Springs police Detective Kenny May was notified of a report called into the Child Abuse Hotline in regard to an alleged sexual offense involving an 8-year-old male.
The report said the victim was asleep and woke to someone breathing on his face. He then saw Watts touching his privates and leaning over him.
On Aug. 18, the victim was interviewed at the Cooper Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center and reportedly stated he was sleeping in a bedroom at a relative's house and awoke to heavy breathing on his face. He said he saw "Tim" playing with his own "middle part," which he identified as the suspect's privates on an anatomical doll. He noted Watts' pants were unzipped during the incident.
On Aug. 28, May interviewed Watts, who was in custody for failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements. Watts was previously convicted in Louisiana of attempted indecent behavior with juveniles, according to the Garland County Sex Offender Registry.
Watts reportedly told May he "had a feeling" the report was about him breathing and masturbating near a boy in the residence listed by the victim.
Watts said he walked into the victim's room one night and was holding his privates, which had fallen out of the "slit" in the front of his pants. He said he knelt down by the victim while he was sleeping and reached over him to retrieve clothes that were in the room while still holding his privates.
The victim said the incident occurred a few months before August, and was listed as May 15 on the arrest report as the exact date of the incident is unknown. The victim's relative confirmed Watts had stayed at the residence from April to August.
Local on 09/15/2017