Man arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior on New Smyrna Beach, police say

A man was arrested on New Smyrna Beach this afternoon and charged with lewd or lascivious behavior according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded to a disturbance along the water around 2:20 p.m. and learned John Edington, 56, had unwanted physical contact with several beachgoers, including two girls ages 8 and 9, according to the sheriff's office.

According to interviews with victims and witnesses, Edington approached the 9-year-old on the shoreline while her mother was in the ocean, and rubbed his hands over her body before her mother was able to get to shore and confront him.

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Separately, an 8-year-old girl told deputies Edington touched her in the same way, over her bathing suit top and bottoms. Witnesses said he had also grabbed or approached others during his afternoon on the beach.

Edington, who lives north of DeLand, appeared to be intoxicated and told deputies he was “just a friendly guy,” but he was belligerent when questioned further, according to a sheriff's office Facebook post.

He was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail and charged with two counts of lewd or lascivious behavior, the sheriff's office said.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Man accused of groping young girls on New Smyrna Beach arrested