For the second time in a week, police are investigating a case of a man exposing himself in public in the Dartmouth area.

Police say the incident took place Wednesday afternoon.

“A nine-year-old child was walking on Windmill Road, when she saw a green minivan parked on the side of the road with the door open. She peeked inside and saw a male that was sitting in the back seat masturbating,” says Const. Pierre Bourdages of the Halifax Regional Police.

Police say the man did not speak to the child or pay attention to her.

The girl ran home and told her mother, who then phoned police.

The suspect is described as a white man with short, brown hair. He wore white pants and a green jacket.

This is the second time this week police have received a complaint about a man exposing himself in public.

The first complaint came in Monday afternoon.

“The witness observed a male who was walking around the cemetery with his genitals exposed,” says Bourdages.

The man is described as white, in his mid-40s, with blond hair. He was wearing a black jacket, grey hooded sweater and brown cargo pants at the time.

A school next to the cemetery was notified, as the call came in just before students were being sent home.

“It’s outrageous,” says resident Dan MacIsaac. “My niece goes to school up the road there, so it is very disconcerting.”

The school was notified again after the most recent incident, which took place in the same general area.

“I think it probably has something to do with mental health problems. Somebody’s not being properly taken care of,” says resident Cathy Tutton. 

“I walk here all the time,” says MacIssac. “My girlfriend walks here, I live up the road, so if I see something like that, I’m running the other way or I won’t think twice about calling the police.”

Police say there’s nothing to suggest the suspects involved in the incidents are the same person. However, there are similarities in the descriptions, so police are not ruling out a possible link.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 490-5020.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster