TEMPE, Ariz. — A 30-year-old man was taken into custody Sunday for allegedly performing indecent sexual acts during a student rowing competition at Tempe Town Lake.
Jonathen Baxter was allegedly sitting in the grass near where a group of students was preparing for a girls' rowing event Sunday afternoon.
A 14-year-old told police they allegedly observed Baxter touching himself, court records show. Witnesses claimed the suspect had a jacket placed over his torso but observed him making hand motions.
Baxter allegedly admitted to touching himself and told police he understood "what he did was wrong and would not do it again," records state.
Police noted that the suspect had previously been arrested for acts of indecent exposure.
The suspect was booked into the Maricopa County jail.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?:
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
