Joshua Kent, 30, of Valley, was arrested on Sept. 17 for one count of indecent exposure, two counts of enticing a child and two counts of traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sexual act, a class A misdemeanor, class C felonies and class A felony.

The first incident that led to the arrest was on Sept. 12 when a 10-year-old female student reported to resource officers at her school that a white male in a black SUV approached and propositioned her for sex two days in a row, Valley Police Department Maj. Mike Reynolds said. When police showed up the next day after the report, the vehicle did not appear.

On Sept. 16, a 24-year-old woman reported that she was in the parking lot in Shawmut when she spotted a man in a black SUV watching her. When she got closer to the vehicle, she reportedly saw that the man’s “privates” were out and he was “fondling himself” while staring at her, police said.

The 24-year-old woman took the license plate and tag number, which ultimately led to Kent’s arrest.

While the 10-year-old girl and her school will remain unanimous, she reacted perfectly to this situation. She handled the questions with enough calmness to approach and tell someone about it instead of ignoring it.

This man, who could’ve been a stranger to the young student, could have not only harmed her but many other victims throughout the Greater Valley Area as well.

In many situations, regardless of age, the victims of assault or harassment can be traumatized to the point where they don’t feel safe enough to tell anyone, much less law enforcement officers. This 10-year-old girl should be applauded for making a brave and correct decision.

Thanks to her and the 24-year-old woman’s reports, Kent was taken off the streets.