BOONVILLE, Mo. — A 73-year-old Boonville man was arrested on Sunday with a large artificial penis still attached to himself, according to police. Robert Gerke was soon charged with harassment in the first degree and sexual misconduct.
According to the court documents, a woman reported that on Sunday night, Gerke pulled his car next to hers and started a conversation in the parking lot of a convenience store. During the conversation she says he exposed himself to her.
She told police she then went to look up sexual offenders in the Boonville area and found Gerke’s photo. When she reported the incident to police, she told them she had noticed the man who exposed himself was using an oxygen tank in his car.
Police say they located Gerke and took him to the Boonville Police Department to be questioned. He brought his portable oxygen tank with him. Police also reported that at the time of his arrest, the artificial penis was exposed from under his shorts.
Police say after they read him his rights, he admitted to engaging in a conversation with the female. They say he admitted that the apparatus might have been exposed at the time of their conversation.
Police say Gerke has prior sexual misconduct convictions.
