Allan Meaney

A convicted sex offender once committed to a state hospital as a violent predator is set to stand trial in April for allegedly exposing himself to a 6-year-old girl at a Christmas tree lot in Colma.

Allan Wayne Meaney, 67, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of indecent exposure and child annoyance along with a misdemeanor charge of hit-and-run for allegedly crashing his car while fleeing the child’s screaming mother, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. He’s due back in court March 4 for a preliminary hearing and scheduled for a jury trial starting April 2, Wagstaffe said.

Colma police arrested Meaney, of South San Francisco, Dec. 1 at his home after he left the tree lot. A mother looking at trees with her daughter reported seeing Meaney standing a few feet from them and grabbing his genitals through the open zipper of his pants. When the mother yelled at Meaney and grabbed at his jacket to hold him for authorities, he pulled away and ran to his car with the woman in pursuit screaming for help, according to prosecutors.

Meaney allegedly got into his car but crashed into another vehicle, giving a clerk at the tree lot the opportunity to write down his license plate number.

Meaney has several prior convictions for sexual abuse against children and was once detained at a state facility as a mentally disordered sex offender, a term now replaced with the label sexually violent predator. The determination allows the court to order a convict held beyond his or her prison term if they meet certain criteria and are considered to remain a danger.

Meaney remains in custody on $100,000 bail.