Michael Anthony Brown was charged Thursday with assault on a female.
Brown, 31, of Concord, assaulted a woman Monday at 11:15 a.m. inside Wal-Mart on North Generals Boulevard in Lincolnton, according to police.
Brown approached the woman inside the store and told her that he was a podiatry student, police say. He reportedly started talking to the woman and offered to help her try on shoes.
While helping the woman try on shoes, Brown put her foot in his mouth and started sucking on her toes, she later told police. When the woman got upset, Brown offered to pay for her groceries, according to police.
The woman reported the incident to Wal-Mart employees who then called the Lincolnton Police Department. The woman told police that she thought the man might be a Wal-Mart employee.
Lincolnton police issued a press release Thursday with surveillance photos of the suspect entering Wal-Mart. By the end of the day, Brown was implicated in the incident and charged.
Concord police arrested Brown at his home and handed him over to Lincolnton investigators.
He was charged with assault and put in Lincoln County Jail on a $50,000 secured bond. According to police, Brown has been in trouble for similar crimes in the past.
Brown was convicted of second-degree attempted sexual offense in 2001 when he was 17, according to the N.C. Department of Correction website. He was in prison for nearly four years.
Brown’s most recent conviction was in 2013 for assault on a female. He is still on probation for that offense.
You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.