PIERRE — Local mother Danyel Doolittle heard about the incident like many people around Pierre — a chain e-mail forwarded around the community claiming a man exposed himself this week to two children at Rawlins Library and then followed them to the Oahe YMCA. And like many people, Doolittle was scared by the prospect of that happening to her children.

“I know the perverts are out there,” Doolittle said. “But to actually have something like that happen in a public space where we consider our kids to be safe — that’s terrifying.”

Pierre police said they are investigating the matter and aren’t yet certain what actually occurred. They are looking for a man pictured in a still frame taken from a security camera attached to the chain e-mail. Assistant Police Chief Elton Blemaster said police aren’t yet ready to say if a crime had been committed.

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“We just need some more information,” Blemaster said. “We’re looking for the one gentleman who can provide it for us. If we knew who the person was and we saw a definite crime on camera, a warrant would have probably already been issued or at least in the works.”

Blemaster said the individual pictured in the security camera is a “person of interest,” and not yet a suspect or the subject of an investigation.

“As of today at 3 o’clock, we’re not dealing with a crime,” Blemaster said Wednesday. “We’re dealing with suspicious activity. We don’t have anything that is a definite crime as of yet.”

Though the chain e-mail says the photo is being circulated at the request of the police, Blemaster said the e-mail and image were not generated by anyone at the police department. He said he does not know how the original sender got the image.

Citing the ongoing investigation, Blemaster declined to confirm or deny the accuracy of the e-mail’s allegations. But if true, Blemaster said it would be a crime.

Indecent exposure is a misdemeanor by South Dakota statute law, but indecent exposure involving a child 13 years or younger is a Class 6 felony. A Class 6 felony carries a maximum penalty of two years prison or a $4,000 fine.

As police look for the man caught on camera, local residents continue to be disturbed by the allegations.

“In Pierre, we consider ourselves to a pretty safe community,” said Doolittle. “We let our guard down pretty easily.”

“It’s kind of shocking,” said Theresa Frick, a mother who forwarded the e-mail on to several of her friends. “For it to happen, especially at a library and up by the Y, it’s kind of disturbing.”