Clarification appended.
Another man was arrested Sunday night after allegedly publicly masturbating, the latest episode in College Hill's inexplicable months-long masturbation spree. Meanwhile, the man who has repeatedly been seen masturbating on John Street remains at large.
Department of Public Safety officers arrested Narragansett resident Matthew Hoile, 26, Sunday evening after he exposed himself to two students, according to Paul Shanley, deputy chief of DPS.
At approximately 6:45 p.m., two female first-years walked past a man standing in the street at the intersection of Charlesfield and Brown streets, one of the students said. As they hurried past the man, one of them looked back and saw him masturbating, she said.
"I was afraid he might do something to us, or chase us or try to hurt us," said the first-year, who asked that her name be withheld to protect her identity.
DPS arrived at the scene within minutes and found a man who matched the students' description, Shanley said.
The student said she was glad to see Hoile arrested. "It felt good knowing we were making the campus safer," she said.
This is DPS' second masturbation arrest in less than a week. Antonio Pimental, of Riverside, was arrested Thursday night for allegedly masturbating in a car on Hope Street. Neither Pimental nor Hoile has any obvious connection to campus, Shanley said.
DPS does not have any reason to believe either man is responsible for the John Street masturbation incidents, said Mark Porter, chief of police and director of public safety.
DPS officers have taken both Hoile and Pimental to be booked by the Providence Police Department. Both men have been charged with disorderly conduct, which includes indecent exposure, Shanley said. Both have been released on personal recognizance, and each has been given a court date, he said.
A previous version of this article stated that Paul Shanley, deputy chief of the Department of Public Safety, said the students who witnessed the incident identified the suspect arrested as the man they saw. The student interviewed, who asked to remain anonymous, said that she and the other witness were never asked to identify the suspect.
