Michael McKinzie - Repeat Sex Offender - Caught on Camera

A registered sex offender wearing a Cox hat is accused of indecent exposure at a 7-Eleven.

Michael McKinzie, 43, was arrested this week after an incident at the Escondido convenience store last Friday, according to police, who said he exposed himself while buying some drinks and handing money to a clerk.

This Friday, a woman living at the address on Kent Avenue in Escondido that McKinzie registered with the state at confirmed he lived there and said he worked for Cox Communications until Wednesday, when the company fired him.

Surveillance video shot at the store allegedly shows McKinzie wearing a ball cap with the Cox logo on it during the incident. A profile page on LinkedIn.com appears to confirm that McKinzie has an employment history with Cox -- according to the page, Michael McKinzie is a "feild [sic] supervisor at Cox Communications."

A representative for Cox Communications confirmed that McKinzie, was fired.

On Friday, Cox released a statement that read, in part:

"All of our employees are required to pass an extensive county, state and federal background check that includes the sexual offender list before being hired. [McKinzie's] background check was clear when we hired him, and that included the sexual offender list.... Nothing in his attendance record would have signaled Cox about his conviction in 2008.... The individual was terminated once we were made aware of his prior conviction and we continue to cooperate fully with the Escondido Police Department during this ongoing investigation."

McKinzie is accused of committing the brazen act while surrounded by four women and a few men.

"As the money is exchanged this unknown male exposes himself by pulling his sweats down and places his private parts on the counter," said Lt. Craig Carter with Escondido police.

"It seemed so brazen -- two females off to his left, one to his right, a couple males behind him in line -- and it didn't even seem to faze him," Carter said.

Carter said the cashier, a 28-year old woman, was very traumatized and shocked but still managed to give change in the hopes that the man would just leave.

One thing this flasher wasn't counting on was the store's surveillance video. The camera picked up the entire incident and helped investigators identify McKinzie.

McKinzie has a 2008 conviction for committing a lewd act with a child under the age of 14. Several days after the 7-Eleven incident, McKinzie was booked into the Vista Detention Facility for indecent exposure.

Because he violated his probation, the crime is considered a felony, Carter said.

As for the cashier, she returned to her job Thursday night despite what happened.

The public won't see the incident any time soon since investigators said they won't release the surveillance video due to legal concerns.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte

"On average most sex offenders are never caught again for a new sex offense, after five years, between 10 and 15 percent of sex offenders are detected, often convicted, of committing a new sex offense. If you follow them for ten years the rates go up somewhat, if you follow them as long as we’ve been able to follow them, which is about 20 years, the rates go up to somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the total sample will eventually be caught for a new sex offense."

Dr. R. Karl Hansen