ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man is facing charges for committing a sex act both in public and later while in police custody.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s probable cause statement, officers were called to a bar at the corner of Washington Avenue and North 20th Street for a reported lewd act.

A bar employee told police he saw Joseph V. Russell, 36, walk into the women’s bathroom and leave the door wide open. When the employee went to confront Russell, he discovered Russell completely naked and performing a sex act on himself.

Police said an officer went to the women’s bathroom and saw the same activity. The officer ordered Russell to get dressed and arrested him.

Russell was placed in a holding cell at Central Patrol on North Jefferson Avenue. A short time later, police said a civilian clerk at the jail saw Russell take his clothes off and again perform a sex act on himself.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Russell with two counts of first-degree sexual misconduct. Online records did not show when Russell will appear in court.