Bethany man accused of exposing himself to Sonic carhop

The female worker told a Bethany police detective that when she walked up to Dougherty's vehicle about 1 p.m. June 20, she observed him masturbating, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The worker said the man's pants were pulled down around his thighs, police reported.

The worker told her manager she did not wish to finish the transaction. When the manager went outside to get the man's license plate number he drove off, the detective reported.

Police were able to identify Dougherty by his credit card number, his license plate number and a physical description, and interviewed him the same day.

Dougherty admitted being at Sonic and told the detective he was trying to change from his workout clothes to his work clothes in the car, according to the affidavit.

“Everything was a big misunderstanding,” he said.

Dougherty told police he had come from the gym, but when police called the gym to verify his story a representative said they had no record of him being there since June 6, the affidavit shows.