Carson City arrests: Man with history of sex crimes jailed for exposing himself at park
A 70-year-old man was arrested Saturday for suspicion of sex crimes, indecent exposure and being a habitual criminal with three prior felony convictions after he allegedly exposed himself in the presence of a child at a local park, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office report.
Charles Bernard Berton was taken into custody in the area of Carmine Street and North Lompa Lane. He was also booked for suspicion of felony child abuse, indecent exposure in the presence of a child, fugitive from justice from another state, failure to register as a sex offender in Nevada, and gross misdemeanor open and gross lewdness.
According to the arrest report, the Carson City Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a report of a man who was seen without clothes who had exposed himself in the presence of an 8-year-old at Fulstone Family Park on Northridge Drive.
Deputies learned the man then left the park, without a shirt and wearing cargo pants. He was located at the intersection of Carmine and Lompa Lane. A deputy asked for his identification. The man stated he didn't have any on him. When he was asked for his name and birthdate he provided a false last name and a birthdate. Dispatch was able to match the man's first name and the birthdate and provided deputies a booking photo, which confirmed his identity.
A records check was done on the man, who had an active felony warrant out of Los Angeles County Court for violating his parole. Dispatch confirmed he is a tier 3 sex offender.
Berton was asked how long he's been living in Carson City. The man replied three months. He was asked if had registered with the Carson City Sheriff's Office. He replied no. He was asked where he was living, and he provided the name of a North Carson Street motel where he was living. The manager confirmed he had been at the motel since May 2022. Dispatch confirmed that the last time Berton registered as a sex offender in Carson City was in 2017. He was arrested.
The reporting party was the mother of the 8-year-old girl who observed the man touching himself. The mother was able to verify that Berton was nude in the park, and took photographs that she provided to the sheriff's office.
Berton was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak. He was asked what he was doing in the park. The man admitted masturbating, stating he had to "relieve myself" and knew it was wrong but "s**t happens," the report states.
A criminal history showed numerous felony sexual offenses that demonstrated he was a habitual criminal, according to the report. Bail amount listed: $145,548.
— All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.