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Boston man allegedly exposed himself to teenager at historic burial site

Online Niel November 2, 2024

In setting Wayne MacDonald’s bail, the court noted his “long history of similar offenses,” records show.

Peter Faneuil’s grave in the Boston granary on February 10, 2023. Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe Staff

A Boston man was held without bail this week after he was accused of exposing himself to a minor who was visiting the historic city. The funeral of the granary with her family last July.

Wayne MacDonald, 65, was arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court on one count of open and aggravated lewdness, subsequent offense, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. MacDonald pleaded not guilty.

The teenager and her mother told police they were visiting the barn shortly before 1 p.m. on July 25 when a man exposed himself to the girl, the DA’s office said. The mother confronted the man across the road from the cemetery, but he allegedly denied any wrongdoing and left.

The mother gave officers a description of the man, and Boston police watched video surveillance footage from nearby buildings and found him on tape, according to the DA’s office. Detectives distributed a bulletin, and officers from the Boston Police Department’s Sex Offender Registry Unit reportedly identified the man as MacDonald.

He was arrested earlier this week, the prosecutor’s office said.

In setting MacDonald’s bail, the court noted his “long history of similar offenses,” records show. According to the DA’s office, MacDonald is on probation until 2029 after serving a prison sentence for an open and gross lewdness conviction from 2023. He also has “numerous” similar charges on his record dating back to 1992, said the office.

Judge Joseph Griffin set MacDonald’s bond at $500 on the new charge and ordered him held without bail pending a probation violation hearing on Dec. 5, the DA’s office said. Boston.com has reached out to MacDonald’s attorney for comment.

“It’s unfortunate for any young person to have such an experience, but I commend her and her mother for acting so responsibly in providing the police with a description of the incident and the person responsible,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in -a statement. “This information, combined with solid detective work, helped this defendant answer the charges.”

Built in 1660, the granary is the final resting place of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, the five victims of the Boston Massacre and several other notable figures of the early history of Boston.