PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Police are trying to determine if a convicted sex offender, who recently registered in Santa Monica following a stint in jail for masturbating in public, exposed himself to girls as young as 5.
Investigators believe there may be more victims after finding journals written by Joseph William Toscanini, which indicate he exposed himself to girls, with a preference for those between the ages of 5 and 10, Monterey Park police said.
Investigators in the east Los Angeles County city stumbled upon the journals after arresting Toscanini on Aug. 14 for masturbating in public. Police said a bystander saw Toscanini manipulating his penis in front of a cafe located in the 400 block of West Garvey Ave. in Monterey Park.
Prosecutors charged the 46-year-old with a misdemeanor count of indecent exposure. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s booking records show he was sentenced to 36 days in jail on Aug. 15.
However, Santa Monica Police Sgt. Darrick Jacob, who oversees sex offender registration, said Toscanini filled out paperwork with the SMPD on Aug. 25, just 10 days after being sentenced. Convicted sex offenders who are homeless are required to register with police every 30 days, giving such information as where they plan to sleep.
Jacob said Toscanini, a registered sex offender because of an out-of-state offense, has not been arrested in Santa Monica. The last contact SMPD officers had with Toscanini was in 2009 when police saw him sleeping in the doorway of a business on the Third Street Promenade.
“We are planning to send out a community bulletin letting people know that he’s in Santa Monica,” Jacob said.
Toscanini is known to ride buses, according to reports.
He is described as white, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 140 pounds and with a thin build.
Police in Monterey Park are asking any possible victims to call Detective Rebecca Minor at (626) 307-1239. Possible victims can also call the SMPD, Sgt. Jacob at (310) 458-8460.
kevinh@www.smdp.com
