Pasco man charged with lewd behavior in front of roommate, child

HOLIDAY

Roommate accused of lewd act near child

A 39-year-old man was arrested for masturbating over his sleeping roommate and her 7-year-old son Thursday night, authorities said.

Anthony Shell came out of his room at 1131 Mandarin Drive and found his 28-year-old roommate sleeping in the living room, and her son asleep on a couch next to her, according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report.

The woman told police she awoke to find Shell standing over her. When she realized he was naked from the waist down and masturbating, she yelled at him, grabbed her son and ran into her own bedroom, where her husband had been watching TV, the report said.

The woman told deputies that Shell had said he missed his girlfriend, who is in prison. Meanwhile, Shell told deputies he had left his room to use the bathroom. "I should not have done that," he said, according to the report.

Shell, who has been arrested previously for driving under the influence and possessing marijuana, has been charged with lewd and lascivious conduct in the presence of a child. He is being held at Land O'Lakes jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.