JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The arrest of a transient accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in a bathroom at the Downtown Campus of Florida State College at Jacksonville has raised questions about security and safety in public restrooms.
The concerns come after the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Marvin Lee Haugabrook, 61, was arrested Thursday on a charge of sexual battery in the Feb. 20 assault of a 15-year-old boy.
The case isn't the first of its kind in the Jacksonville area.
In the wake of the recent cases, parents are asking what they should do if a family restroom isn't available.
Haugabrook -- who has been arrested dozens of times since 1979, most of which were on nonviolent offenses -- is not the first to be charged with assaulting a minor in a restroom.
Keith Sykes, a homeless man accused of sexually assaulting a child in a McDonald's restroom on Emerson Street in 2015, was found not competent for prosecution.
In 2013, police said, James Tadros attacked a 9-year-old in a Best Buy restroom on Southside Boulevard.
On Friday, News4Jax talked with parents about the issue of child safety in public restrooms. Many parents said they often accompany their children, but that's not always possible.
"I always go in," mother Jessica Shelton said. "With the 5-year-old now, he's still at the age where it's OK to go inside a female restroom. When he gets older, I don't know what age, that will be a difficult dynamic."
Mother Barb Fontana said she would wait outside the restroom for her son, but go in with her daughter.
"I would be comfortable with that," she said. "(I would) wait for him and keep my eye on the door."
Chris Oklevitch, owner of The Women’s Defense Company, said one of the most frequent questions he gets is about children in public restrooms. He believes, even if it seems socially awkward, parents taking children with them into the wrong gender restroom is OK if it's for their safety.
"At a Jacksonville Jaguars game, I had to bring my daughter and her small friends into the restroom with me," Oklevitch said. "We had football fans wondering, 'Why are you bringing these girls in there?' I brought them in so they could be safe."
Oklevitch said parents who can't be with their children should feel free to wait at the door of a restroom. He also said parents should not hesitate to open the door and ask if they're OK.