[Ads /]
The woman, who didn't want to be identified, told ABC11 that when she left Target in the White Oak Crossing shopping center in Garner on Thursday, she noticed that the man in the car next to her was exposing and touching himself.
She said she thought, "Whoa! Is he really doing that where women with children go to Target every day? To where people could see him?"
She said she didn't know who the man was or what he did for a living but she didn't hesitate to call the police.
A spokesman for the Garner Police Department said an officer stopped the suspect as he was driving out of the shopping center.
The officer noticed a commercial two-way radio in the suspect's vehicle and when the officer inquired about it, the man told the officer he was a firefighter.
Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App
The officer charged 35-year-old Anthony Ladd with indecent exposure.
Friday afternoon, the City of Rocky Mount confirmed that Ladd is a fire captain and an 11-year veteran of the Rocky Mount Fire Department.
[Ads /]
The victim said she knows a lot of firefighters who provide good public service.
She said what she saw in the Target parking lot was a public disservice.
"They're there to serve us and protect us," she said. "I don't necessarily know that I would want him in my home if something were to happen. But regardless of his career, he doesn't need to be doing that in public for others to see."
A spokesperson for the City of Rocky Mount did not comment on if the city is taking any action against Ladd as a result of the misdemeanor charge because it is a "personnel issue."