Teacher accused of lewd acts but witnesses cast doubt
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A local teacher faces charges for allegedly exposing and touching himself in public. Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A teacher is a person of interest in lewd acts across the northwest valley but some witnesses are casting doubt.
Timothy Lawson was arrested last week and charged with one count of Open or Gross Lewdness and one count of Indecent Exposure after a former student at Cimarron Memorial High School identified him as the man exposing himself as she walked to work on two separate occasions.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is also naming Lawson as a person of interest in at least 10 similar crimes in the area of Rainbow and Lake Mead boulevards over the past year.
Action News tracked down one of those women, who explains what she saw on the porch next door.
"I thought he was flipping his belt but then I saw him ejaculate," says witness Toni Seymour.
But when shown a mug shot of Lawson, she doesn't think he is the same guy.
"No, that's not my guy," says Seymour. "Mine was much younger, much lighter."
In another case of lewdness at an apartment complex the next day, that witness also did not pick Lawson out of a photo lineup.
Action News asked LVMPD about the discrepancy and they say he has only been charged with that initial act involving a former student so far and remains merely a person of interest in the other cases because they are so similar.
"We are currently looking at how many of the other cases he may be involved with," says Metro spokesperson Bill Cassell. "There is some DNA analysis going on that we believe may be instrumental in solving some of these cases."
Metro says Lawson was arrested for the same types of acts back in 2007 and accepted a plea deal in those cases, which is another reason they believe he could be involved here.
Until DNA evidence comes back, this case remains open.
"At least the police are hot on it," says Seymour.
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