NYPD Detective Charged In Connection With Acts of Public Lewdness
One particular set of crimes in New York has recently captured the news headlines, perhaps because it involved a NYPD detective who was charged in connection with four separate incidents of public lewdness on Long Island on Monday, March 27th. In addition to facing four counts of public lewdness, the detective now also faces three counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of trespassing, all of which are classified as (class B) Misdemeanors in New York.
The arrest comes after numerous incidents involving a partially naked man trolling residential neighborhoods and exposing himself to women and female children were reported in February and March. The detective has admitted to being the culprit involved in the incidents, as well as committing similar crimes in Queens, Suffolk County, Brooklyn, and other areas of Nassau County, and has now been suspended from the NYPD without pay.
New York Law: Public Lewdness
In New York, a person is guilty of public lewdness when they intentionally expose their private parts in a lewd manner or commit any other lewd act(s) in a public place or private premises under circumstances in which they may be readily observed from a public place or other private premises with the intent of being observed while performing these act(s).
Gray Areas
While someone exposing their private parts to children clearly fits this definition of public lewdness, things can get murkier when it comes to other acts; particularly when those other acts do not carry any intention of outside observation, such as some instances of engaging in sexual intercourse in a public place. In fact, historically, lewd acts included sexual acts by unmarried individuals living together, even when those acts were unobserved and in the privacy of their own homes. Sometimes, what is considered to be “lewd” is entirely based on what the current cultural “norm” is at the time.
And what technically constitutes a “public place”? While it is obvious that parks are public places, many people might not realize that the inside of a car or private home, if visible to someone outside the car or home, might fall technically constitute “public places” when it comes to being charged with crimes like these. For example, there have been cases whereby people sunbathing nude in their own backyards have been charged with lewdness involving children when it was possible for them to be seen by children in nearby yards.
New York Criminal Defense Attorney
In some instances, not only can you be charged with a class B misdemeanor for acts of public lewdness, but, depending upon the specific crimes and circumstances, you could end up having to register as a sex offender for committing sex crimes, which can ruin your life and the lives of your loved ones.
At the office of Phillip J. Murphy, we help clients accused of misdemeanors and felonies throughout New York and New Jersey. To obtain a free criminal defense consultation, contact our office today.
Resource:
newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/03/27/rockville-centre-alleged-lewd-act-arrest/