Covington Walmart flasher hid genitals under Saints Santa hat, deputies say

A man accused of hiding his genitals under a Saints Santa hat and flashing a Walmart shopper is facing two obscenity charges in connection with two incidents in the Covington Walmart parking lot on U.S. 190, according to information the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office released Friday. Sheriff's deputies arrested Brian Harris, 26, last week and he posted a $7,000 bond on Sunday, jail records show.

According to information the Sheriff's Office released Friday, a woman told a Walmart security officer on Dec. 11 that as she was preparing to back her car out of a parking spot on at around 2:30 p.m., she noticed a man with a Saints Santa hat on his lap sitting in a 1998 green Honda Civic next to her. He removed the hat and exposed himself, the Sheriff's Office said.

The woman said the man made eye contact with her and grinned, according to the Sheriff's Office report. Embarrassed, she left the store, but decided later to return and report the incident.

She gave a general description of the flasher and his car, but sheriff's deputies weren't able to find any other witnesses, according to the report.

Brian HarrisSt. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office  

At around 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 28, the Walmart security guard was alerted to a man reported to be masturbating in the parking lot, according to the Sheriff's Office report. The description of the man and the green 1998 Honda Civic matched the earlier description given by the woman on Dec. 11, the Sheriff's Office said. The witness to the Dec. 28 incident was able to get a partial license plate number, and deputies were able to find the car's owner through a Department of Motor Vehicles database, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's deputies went to the home on Helenberg Road in Covington and found the green Honda Civic parked in the driveway. According to the Sheriff's Office, Harris admitted to fondling himself under a Santa hat in both incidents, but said he did not expose himself  to the female victims. Deputies found a Saints Santa hat after searching his car, according to the Sheriff's Office report.

If convicted, Harris could face up to three years in prison and could be fined up to $2,500 on each obscenity charge.