Randy Howe Facts: NBC-Affiliated Sports Reporter Arrested For Allegedly Masturbating In Bar

Randy William Howe, a Las Vegas-based sports director of NBC-affiliate KSNV-TV, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly masturbating at a bar on North Decatur Boulevard.

Howe faced charges of indecent exposure and gross lewdness after he was seen in the surveillance cameras in the place appearing to masturbate near a gaming machine inside the bar located at 4400 block of North Decatur Boulevard, near West Craig Road, North Los Angeles, and then walking to the restroom with his penis exposed.

According to Fox News, the police report said after Howe sat down in front of the slot machine, he looked around "as if he was nervous or paranoid that someone was watching.” His lewd behavior reportedly started at 8:30 a.m. local time (11:30 a.m. EST) and continued till 9:17 a.m. local time (12: 17 p.m. EST), which was when the law enforcement officers responded to complaints regarding his actions.

One of the employees at the place told the police that Howe was not drunk at the time of carrying out the alleged actions as he only had energy drinks after arriving at the bar. A few other staff added the reporter was a frequent customer at the bar, and this wasn’t the first instance of him being caught in a lewd act.

Regarding his arrest, Howe denied reports that he was masturbating. Instead, he told law enforcement officers he was scratching a rash when the camera caught him with his hands down his pants.

KSNV-TV General Manager Larry Strumwasser told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he will not confirm Howe’s employment status with the company, following his arrest. “We are obviously very concerned about the seriousness of these charges,” Strumwasser said. “We are investigating everything.”

Howe was born in Minnesota and graduated from St. Cloud State University. According to his biography on the local news media’s website, Howe joined the KSNV-TV Sports department in 2008 after working as a broadcaster for 18 years in North Dakota and Minnesota.

“For the last 18 years, Randy has had the pleasure of covering less publicized sporting events and stories ranging from ‘Cole Slaw Wrestling’ at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally during his stay in Rapid City, South Dakota to snowmobile racing (winter and summer- yes it's weird they're called Sled Freaks) while working in Minnesota,” the website added, mentioning nothing about his future in the company in the light of the arrest.

He is married and the couple have a daughter. In his free time, he enjoyed playing basketball and skiing.

If convicted, Howe could be looking at jail time. A first-time offender in Nevada, depending on whether an indecent exposure charge was classified as a misdemeanor or a felony, can face up to a year in prison and $2,000 for committing a lewd act, according to State Laws.