ST. PAUL -- A St. Paul store clerk has been arrested after allegedly getting his kicks -- while selling kicks.
Jeffrey Thomas Wieland, 44, of St. Paul was booked Tuesday into the Ramsey County Jail on suspicion of masturbating under his clothes while talking to a female customer who was at the Running Room to buy shoes. The woman left the store at 1068 Grand Ave. and reported the incident to police.
A Running Room manager declined to comment Wednesday.
Wieland remained jailed Wednesday afternoon and had not been charged.
Wieland has a history of sex-related offenses, including three convictions since 2005.
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The most serious offense stems from a 2006 incident. Wieland pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony, in Washington County District Court stemming from an incident while he was working at Dick's Sporting Goods in Woodbury.
In 2005, he pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a gross misdemeanor, after he rubbed underwear against his genitals in front of a clerk at Marshall Field's at the Maplewood Mall, according to the criminal complaint. He then rubbed his chest against the woman's breasts and stared down her blouse. He also inappropriately touched another clerk's body.
Also in 2005, he pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct for masturbating while watching young girls at a public beach in White Bear Lake, according to a criminal complaint. A witness told police that he
saw a man moving his hand up and down inside his shorts while watching young girls. When questioned, Wieland became apprehensive and asked to speak to his attorney, the complaint said. Police told him to leave the beach, and he rode away on a bicycle.
Police contacted Wieland's probation officer Tuesday after the female customer complained. The probation officer recommended the arrest.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
