DeLand, FL - A man who followed two girls and scared them into a gas station will face aggravated stalking charges.
When deputies confronted the man, Kevin Rich, about the incident on Thursday, he supposedly said: “Is this about the two girls from earlier?” That’s after he told deputies he had pulled over on the side of Grand Avenue to smoke some crack and masturbate. He’s now facing charges of aggravated stalking and two counts of attempted lewd or lascivious exhibition to a minor.
The charges came after deputies met with two girls at a DeLand-area Circle K gas station on West New York Avenue. An employee there said they came into the store and were scared to the point that they couldn’t speak. They handed the employee a phone with one of the girl’s mothers on the line, who said they were being followed by a man in a gray car.
The employee let the girls wait with her behind the counter until law enforcement arrived while another witness went outside to get the tag number of a gray vehicle spotted at one of the gas pumps.
Deputies learned the girls were walking south on Grand Avenue after buying drinks at the gas station when they noticed an oncoming car pulling over on their side of the road, facing them. They crossed to the other side of the road, but the driver said something to them as they passed. Then he sped away before turning around to follow them.
They said the driver tried to speak to them again, but the girls took off running back to the store, dropping their drinks and money so they could run faster. Deputies who were searching the area found their cups on the ground, still cold with ice spilling out, and some dollar bills on the ground nearby.
Deputies later caught up with Rich at another convenience store on International Speedway Boulevard. He denied following the girls and claimed they were just startled by the activity he was engaging in.
A check of Rich’s criminal history revealed 24 prior felony charges and 16 prior misdemeanors, but no prior sex offenses or stalking charges. Anyone who experienced a similar incident is asked to contact detectives at 386-943-7866, via the non-emergency line at 386-248-1777 or 911 in an emergency.
Back in January, the DeLand Police Department issued a public alert about a man in a car who was asking children to approach his vehicle. No one has been connected to that case and it’s unclear if Rich is connected to that incident at this point.
