Convicted sex offender charged with indecent exposure near elementary school

A man has been arrested today in connection with an incident during which he allegedly exposed himself to a 6-year-old at the Falling Water Elementary School playground March 21.

Terry F. Beason was arrested and charged with observation without consent and indecent exposure and taken to the Hamilton County Jail, said Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Janice Atkinson in a news release.

The sheriff’s office received a complaint March 21 involving a man described as about 40 years old who exposed himself to a child playing on the playground. Detective Mike Cox developed suspect information on the reported incident using the sex offender registry. A witness was provided a photo lineup and identified Mr. Beason as a suspect.

Mr. Beason, a resident of Hixson, was charged in 1999 with of attempted rape of a child, according to the Tennessee sex offender registry.

See tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press for full coverage.