Man Exposes Himself to Hikers
Police are receiving multiple reports of a man exposing himself along hiking trails in Mill Creek Canyon. The most recent report stated that the man stood up from behind a bush at about 11 a.m. and exposed himself to a woman running the trail, the woman stated that he was completely naked. The man has been described as about 6 feet tall, overweight, white and balding, a description that fits multiple reports. In fact police say that this is the fifth time that a naked man fitting that description has appeared on Mill Creek Canyon trials. The man has never attacked anyone but has exposed himself to both men and women.
Utah Indecent Exposure Laws
In Utah indecent exposure is included in the criminal code as Lewdness. The code defines the offending conduct as an act of sexual intercourse, sodomy, exposing of private areas, or masturbation in a public place or under circumstances which the person would know will likely cause affront or alarm in the presence of another. For a first or second conviction of lewdness it is a class B misdemeanor but after that it jumps to a third degree felony. Also lewdness in the presence of a child (under 14 years old) is a separate offense with harsher penalties.
Utah Criminal Defense Attorney
Lewdness can be a very loosely defined criminal offense, because the criminal code states that “any act of lewdness” qualifies as a chargeable offense if done in public. This circular logic requires that judges and juries rely on personal moral codes of ethics to decide what types of conduct is and is not lewd. Obviously, there are going to be situations in which the actions are clearly lewd, like the case explained above, but in other situations a good legal defense can help a person escape excessive police power. Call or email Salcido Law Firm today to learn more about what we can do for you.
