ATLANTA, GA – A 29-year-old man was arrested last week in the locker room of LA Fitness in Atlanta’s Ansley Mall for allegedly masturbating and humping a gym-goer in the bathroom. This particular LA Fitness is very popular with Atlanta’s gay community.
Q Project Atlanta reported that Edwin Troy Causey was arrested in the locker room and charged with public indecency and simple battery. He was taken to the Fulton County Jail and is being held on a $1,500 bond.

Charlie Stadtlander , an LGBT activist and former candidate for the Atlanta City Council and Board of Education, said he spotted Causey in the restroom of the gym when he entered. He noticed some movement by Causey in his peripheral vision and turned to find Causey allegedly masturbating.

Stadtlander contends that he looked around and saw Causey jerking off while watching himself in a mirror. Stadtlander said he decided to leave the restroom when Causey walked up to him and grabbed Stadtlander’s leg and started thrusting himself, rubbing his penis on Stadtlander’s leg. Stadtlander said he then pushed Causey off and tried to lock himself in one of the restroom stalls.

Stadtlander said he then waited until he thought Causey left the restroom before he entered to grab his workout bag and cell phone to call police. Instead, Stadtlander saw Causey laying naked on the floor rolling around.

Stadtlander said that Atlanta police officers arrived within minutes of his call, and one from gym management, to 911.

Stadtlander, concerned with how officers might react to the incident given the Atlanta Police Department’s troubled relationship with the LGBT community, asked an officer to notify one of the agency’s LGBT liaisons. The officer did so and a detective who arrived detailed the case to Officer Brian Sharp, one of two LGBT liaisons with Atlanta police.

Stadtlander said he didn’t know how the Atlanta police were going to handle his situation, but said the police were very polite and comforting and extremely professional and was pleased how the police handled the incident.