APD: Man attempts to rob woman, exposes himself to her and her kids in East Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department has charged a Northeast Austin man after they say he attempted to rob a woman, then exposed himself to her and her children near Givens Park in East Austin.

Roderic Keith Whitley, 47, has been charged with third-degree felony indecency with a child by exposure.

Court paperwork says officers responded to a disturbance urgent call near 12th and Cometa streets on Nov. 10, 2019. They were given a description of a black male and found him in the 1300 block of Cometa Street. It was reported he was trying to get into a family's car in the Givens Park parking lot. 

Officers met with a woman who said the man tried to enter her car and steal her purse, then grabbed her daughter's leg. She also said the man pulled his penis out in front of her kids, says court paperwork.

Child Abuse Unit detectives interviewed the woman's daughters about the incident. One of them said she and her family were sitting in the parking lot when a black man, later identified as Whitley, came to her mom's window and reached in, trying to get her purse. Her mother rolled up the window on his arm, so he came to the victim's window, reaching in and grabbing her leg. She said he began to move his lips around while squeezing her leg, says court paperwork.

She said her mother then rolled the window up and he walked away to the bus stop. Her mother followed Whitley and waited for police to arrive. Whitley walked to the bus stop and began yelling at them "they are not going to do anything." She said she saw Whitley place his hand inside his pants while pointing at them and said Whitley began to play with himself.

The victim's sister said she had gone to throw a pizza box away and saw a man at the car with his arm inside her sister's window. She said she noticed the man walk away from the car, stumbling, and she heard her family telling her to run to the car. After she got in, she said her mother told Whitley she was calling the police and Whitley said he wasn't scared and walked towards the bus stop. Court paperwork says the girl saw Whitley get off the bus stop bench and begin playing with himself, both with his pants pulled down and inside his boxers.

Detectives interviewed the girls' mother who said she took her daughters and son to eat in the parking lot. She said a man she didn't know came up to her window and began to rub on her breast and tried to reach for her purse, says court paperwork. She said she was afraid for her daughter who was outside the car. She screamed for the girl to hurry back to the car. 

The man reached in to grab her daughter in the backseat and she fought him off and rolled up the window, says court paperwork. With her other daughter back in the car, they began to drive away while watching where the man went. The woman said she called 9-1-1 and sat across the street from the bus stop, watching him until police arrived.

While waiting, she said she saw the man get off the bench and walk to the middle of the road, says court paperwork. The man's pants fell and he pulled his penis out of his boxers and began to play with it in front of her kids, so she asked them to turn around. Police arrived and placed him under arrest for indecent exposure and public intoxication.

Detectives attempted to talk to Whitley about the case at the Travis County Correctional Complex but say in the court paperwork Whitley said he would rather contact his attorney.