Man Dressed as Mime Charged After Taking Off Clothes, Coating Himself in Oil Near Female Workers

A man whose mime costume made him instantly recognizable along a popular Massachusetts trail is now facing criminal charges after authorities say his encounters with multiple women became increasingly disturbing.

Boston 25 reported that 29-year-old Hernan Asael Villagran Lux was arrested by Massachusetts State Police the night of July 19 near the Cochituate Rail Trail, where he had an outstanding warrant. He was arraigned on Monday, July 20, in Framingham District Court on three counts of criminal harassment tied to encounters with three female employees of the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation at a Natick park over the past two months.

One of the women reported more than 50 separate encounters that authorities say escalated over time.

Assistant District Attorney Andrew Mange told the court the women described repeated contact that left them terrified and shaken to be around Lux.

“The women report an extensive number of contacts with the defendant involving him staring at them, smiling in what they describe as ‘a really unnerving and frankly terrifying manner,'” Mange said, according to the outlet.

Prosecutors allege Lux “stripped down to his underwear, slathered cooking oil all over his body and began working out right by their staff area.”

He also allegedly complimented one employee’s appearance and refused to leave even after coworkers abandoned the area out of fear.

Several community members said online they’d spotted a man matching his mime-like appearance across Framingham, Natick and Wayland, with some claiming he’d approached or followed women on the trail.

“I hope this guy gets the help that he needs,” resident Christopher Labella told Boston 25.

Lux pleaded not guilty and fainted in court as the allegations were read aloud, Fox News reported.

The judge ordered a mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital. His next hearing is scheduled for August 6, according to court records.

Lux’s records show three prior shoplifting cases — along with a charge of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle — which were all earlier dismissed in a Framingham courthouse.

A separate shoplifting case is still pending in Natick District Court, where he’s chosen to represent himself, according to The Boston Globe.