Man tasered after exposing himself to teen

Police tasered and arrested a Sarasota man yesterday after witnesses reported him exposing himself to a large group of people including a 12-year-old girl on a small slice of beach on the northern tip of Siesta Key.

A woman reported that Jason Beles, 38, was staring at her niece while exposing himself at roughly 6:30 p.m. He then entered the water and removed his yellow bathing suit while standing in thigh-high surf, according to the woman’s statements.

When police arrived, a group of onlookers signaled to Beles, who told the responding officer his name was John Smith. Beles then fought police for his bag and resisted when an officer attempted to cuff him. The deputy used his taser and the man was treated at Sarasota memorial Hospital before being transported to jail without incident.

He is currently being held at the Sarasota County Jail on $11,500 bond for lewd and lascivious behavior, resisting arrest with violence, giving false identification to an officer and violation of probation.