Driver arrested for indecent exposure

Driver arrested for indecent exposure

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A 24-year-old single man hired by parents to drive their children
to kindergarten in Bintaro, South Jakarta, and back home again
has been arrested for indecent exposure, a police officer
revealed on Thursday.

"We arrested the suspect, identified as Wartim, two days ago
at his house in Bintaro," Jakarta Police chief of detectives Sr.
Comr. Mathius Salempang said.

The case came to light after one of the victims, a boy,
refused to join his classmates in the minivan driven by Wartim.

His mother had been trying for weeks to make the boy tell her
the reason, but he had refused.

The mother finally asked a neighbor whose daughter was also in
the car pool whether the girl knew anything.

It came as a shock to both mothers when the girl told them
what had happened inside the minivan when only her, the boy and
the driver were on board.

Both mothers immediately reported the case to the police early
this month, but the police first had to collect the victims' and
witnesses' statements before laying charges and arresting the
suspect.

From October last year through February, Wartim reportedly
exposed himself to the two children, who were the last two to be
dropped off at home. And one stage he allegedly told the girl to
touch his penis.

"The children also said that Wartim showed them pornographic
pictures from adult magazines twice," Salempang said.

Police will charge him under Law No. 23/2003 on child
protection, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in
prison, and under Article 290 of the Criminal Code on harassing
minors, which carries a maximum seven-year prison term.