Corrections officer charged with indecent exposure

YOUNGSTOWN — A corrections officer was one of two men arrested Friday night on accusations of indecent exposure, authorities said.

Calvin Allen Tharp, of Chipley, and David Harry Phillips, of Youngstown, were arrested on charges of exposure of sexual organs in public after they allegedly were observed engaging in sex-related activity in a wooded area near a Deer Point Lake park.

Bay County Sheriff’s Deputy Larry Grainger responded to a call at about 8:15 p.m. regarding a suspicious vehicle parked near the playground of the McCall-Everett Park near Deer Point Lake dam off U.S. 231. According to a Sheriff’s Office incident report, Grainger found three men standing in a circle about 1 to 2 feet apart. Two of the men were exposing and “fondling one another,” and the third man appeared to be watching, the report said.

According to the report, one of the allegedly exposed men was Tharp, who identified himself to Grainger as a sergeant with the Northwest Florida Reception Center, which was called the Washington Correctional Institution until 2008.

Tharp, 64, told Grainger he walked into the woods to urinate, saw the other man, later identified as Phillips, and “one thing led to another,” the report said.

“Tharp requested that I not arrest him due to his job,” Grainger stated in the report. “I reminded Tharp he was exposing himself in a park where children frequently play. Therefore, I do not have the liberty to ignore his actions.”

Officials at the Northwest Florida Reception Center in Chipley could not be reached for comment Monday evening.

Phillips, 51, told Grainger he went for a walk in the woods, observed Tharp touching himself and joined in, the report said. The third man, who was not seen exposing himself, reportedly told Granger he did see Tharp and Phillips exposed. The man was issued a warning for trespassing and released, according to the report.

Tharp and Phillips were booked into the Bay County Jail. Both posted bond Friday, which was set at $500, according to jail officials.

Sheriff’s Office officials said arrests similar to those of Tharp and Phillips are not atypical at the park. Spokeswoman Ruth Corley said special investigators told her about 25 people have been arrested on similar charges in the last two or three years.

“These people set up these meetings online and then meet at the parks for sexual activity,” Corley said. “Once an operation has been done at the park, the word will go out on the Internet site, and all meetings for that purpose will stop for a few months.”