'Disgusting': Joliet residents concerned about alleged frequent exhibitionist

Joliet residents are concerned about the fate of a man who allegedly exposed himself in public on multiple occasions and was recently released from prison.

The man, Frederick Accordino, 66, was arrested by the Carbon County Sheriff's Office in April after he was allegedly caught exposing himself on surveillance video at 212 Bar and Grill.

According to court documents, Accordino is also accused of exposing himself to three different girls, ages 10 and 11, on the playground of the Joliet school just days before the incident at 212 Bar and Grill.

The man was recently released from jail after posting bail. He faces three felony charges for the playground incident and two felony charges for the bar incident, and the investigation is ongoing. The documents do not indicate whether he appeared in court or pleaded guilty.

For the town, which has a population of 609, it was a frightening experience that left many in shock.

“It’s a small community and everybody talks,” said Hal Ward, owner of 212 Bar and Grill. “You don’t expect something like this to happen. It’s just disgusting.”

Ward said when he first saw the video of Accordino exposing himself in front of 212 employees, he was shocked.

“When I watched the video, I was like, ‘Oh my God,’” Ward said. “It really happened like that.”

Her initial emotions quickly turned to anger at her employees. Ward confirmed that one of her employees involved was a high school student.

“As a man, I didn't realize the effect it would have on a young girl like her,” Ward said. “It really traumatized the poor girl.”

Emilee Cherry, another Joliet resident and mother of three, said it was disturbing to learn the incident happened near the school.

“It makes my blood boil that I can’t keep my kids safe in my own city,” Cherry said. “I can’t let my kids go to the park two blocks from my house because they come home terrified of this man.”

Accordino lives right next to the school, so Cherry and the other parents are stuck with a scary thought on their minds.

“When they're at school, he's closer to them than I am,” Cherry said.

Cherry said it shook the entire community, and while there are only two cases in court documents, she believes almost everyone has had a strange encounter with Accordino.

“The more I talk to people, the more stories I hear,” Cherry said. “He’s just scary. He’s scary.”

According to a sworn affidavit from Carbon County Prosecutor Alex Nixon, Accordino told a sheriff's deputy after the encounter at 212 that memory loss was the cause of his behavior.

“Obviously I'm doing something and I'm going to have to stop. Obviously I'm doing it without thinking and that's what's bad. That's the problem,” he said, according to the affidavit.

MTN News was unable to reach Accordino for comment.

When residents discovered that Accordino was no longer in custody over the weekend, it sparked increased concern.

“Everybody’s afraid something’s going to happen,” Cherry said. “And it is. It’s going to happen. That’s the scary part.”

“This guy shouldn't be walking around the school,” Ward said.