3 days later I received a call from a conservation officer who had pulled my license plate off the camera, found my contact info, and was issuing me an indecent exposure citation. He repeatedly said that the law stated that nudity on federal land is strictly prohibited, and despite my pleas he refused to give me a break. I haven't received the ticket in the mail yet, so I don't know how much the fine is, but I really don't want to pay this, nor do I want indecent exposure on my record when that was clearly not the case!
In my research I have found no example of this law, most everything I read says the laws are very vague and there has to be lewd or sexual behavior/intent, or that the individual refuses to cover up in front of other people in order for this to be an offense.
I welcome any advice here. While I'm most likely just going to pay this ticket since I can't imagine the embarrassment of standing in a full court room to defend this, I'd really like to know if I have any other options.
Thanks everyone, be safe! UPDATE: I heeded the advice of several people here and I contacted the AANR. Not only were they interested in helping, one of the directors is a local practicing lawyer in the district this case was appointed to. They were able to contact the District Attorney and get him/her to agree to recommend dropping the case. Then they proceeded to get approval from the court clerk to represent me at the hearing, without me needing to be present. They sat in court all day for me, because it was the last case heard and the ONLY one for the entire day that was dismissed. Amazing... All of this was done free of charge to me in return for simply letting everyone know how great AANR is, and to encourage everyone to join! Thanks again to everyone for all of the advice and interest, this all turned out way better than I could have hoped.
Replies
- TD
Tom DMay 22, 2020[quote]Thanks everyone for the input and suggestions. As mentioned earlier I can't really afford a lawyer right now unless it costs less than the ticket. So I've reached out to AANR and will hope they have a solution that covers all of my concerns, before I just go ahead and pay the fine. I do believe the officer was correct in saying that because this is a federal court ticket, it is not likely to make it onto my record as long as it is paid on time. I specifically asked if it would be on my record if I paid it, and he said typically it has to make it into state court before that happens. I'll post again once I hear from AANR and make a final decision. Thanks again![/quote] Did you consider that the whole thing is a scam and someone saw your car and you nude near it and is trying to get some easy cash from you?ReactReply - JO
JohnMay 22, 2020[quote] Did you consider that the whole thing is a scam and someone saw your car and you nude near it and is trying to get some easy cash from you?[/quote] For any legitimate citation, it will come in the mail. Any payment will be made to the courthouse of an official government agency. After the above comment, I am concerned that the "conservation officer" called you. That is highly unusual. If you don't get anything in the mail, ignore it. If you are concerned, most jurisdictions have the ability to check on-line or by calling a number. I would make sure it's legitimate before making any payment and check the address it is being sent to. Under no circumstances make payment by untraceable means. There should also be some method of free legal advice in your area. Call the public defenders office in either your jurisdiction or where the citation was allegedly written, and they should be able to check the legitimacy of the charge. John aka cobeachbumReactReply - PA
PaulMay 23, 2020cobeachbum wrote: [quote]Did you consider that the whole thing is a scam and someone saw your car and you nude near it and is trying to get some easy cash from you? (snip) John aka cobeachbum[/quote] On page two, the OP wrote: "Here's the code on the ticket..." so, I presume that means he physically has the ticket in hand, and that would mean it was likely mailed to him.ReactReply - MEMemberOriginal PosterMay 26, 2020
Correct. I received the citation already. It is a US District Court Violation Notice. The officer was legit, after the camera incident I sat in my car for about 15 minutes searching the map for another destination. A ranger/officer with federal markings was pulling into the lot as I was leaving, and I stopped and chatted with him for a minute about the trails (I was dressed). At the time he even confirmed that I was likely the only person to enter the park the entire day. This was the same officer that called me several days later.
I've spoken with AANR and they are working on figuring out what the options are, I'll post an update once a decision is made. Thanks again for all of the input.
ReactReply - UR
UrsaMajorAug 1, 2020In the Advocacy section of the August AANR Bulletin I saw a brief reference that must be related to this case. It said the AANR had intervened in a case of a nude hiker cited in a remote area on land that was managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It said the AANR had contacted the US Attorneys Office and expected to have the case dismissed or charges reduced. Any updates on the status of this case?
ReactReply - AN
AndyAug 8, 2020There are no nudity laws that apply to federal land BUT the national government allows the local laws to apply to the federal land. So if nudity is against the law in the state where the federal land is, it's illegal on that federal land. Some areas don't enforce it, some do.
ReactReply - ANAndyAug 8, 2020
Here are the Florida laws: http://naturistaction.org/StatesFrames/Legislation_Summary_Frames/Kentucky_Summary/kentucky_summary.html
ReactReply - ANAndyAug 8, 2020
You might get your neighbor to sign a letter saying he's not offended by you being nude on his cam.
ReactReply - MEMemberOriginal PosterAug 10, 2020
Hello Everyone,
Finally getting a chance to post an update here. Apparently I have an intelligent moment every once in a while at least, and I heeded the advice of several people here and I contacted the AANR. Not only were they interested in helping, one of the directors is a local practicing lawyer in the district this case was appointed to. They were able to contact the District Attorney and get him/her to agree to recommend dropping the case. Then they proceeded to get approval from the court clerk to represent me at the hearing, without me needing to be present. They sat in court all day for me, because it was the last case heard and the ONLY one for the entire day that was dismissed. Amazing...
All of this was done free of charge to me, in return for simply posting the story here and letting everyone know how awesome AANR is and to encourage everyone to join!
Thanks again to everyone for all of the advice and interest, this all turned out way better than I could have hoped.
ReactReply - ST
SteveAug 10, 2020[quote] All of this was done free of charge to me, in return for simply posting the story here and letting everyone know how awesome AANR is and to encourage everyone to join![/quote] Thanks much for the update. AANR certainly deserves the plug!ReactReply - MEMemberAug 11, 2020
Congratulations. Another victory for the nudists!
ReactReply - SI
silversurferAug 11, 2020That is good news. Have not joined AANR (because of my job) but just may have to now.
ReactReply - CW
cwick744Aug 11, 2020Wow that's awesome! Almost like the union for nudists!
ReactReply - CH
ChrisAug 11, 2020That's great... Here's a story from South Florida, guy does yard work nude and local law enforcement told the neighbors he can do that..
https://rare.us/rare-news/across-the-u-s-a/florida-man-naked-yard-work/ReactReply - OL
OllyAug 11, 2020It is good to hear that AANR is defending naturists. Here in the UK we have BN (British Naturism) which does the same for us, and has done for years. They now have the police trained not to arrest someone for simply being naked in public.
ReactReply - JA
jaybirdsAug 11, 2020Congratulations on having your case dismissed! This is exactly why every naturist should support both AANR and the Naturist Society. They are there to help whenever legal problems arise and to watch out for, and try to circumvent any legislation that may infringe on naturists rights. It doesn't always work, but in this case it did! It's also why I spent the last 4 years serving on the AANR-West board of directors. Besides becoming a member, if you have the time, check with your local chapter to see how you can volunteer to help. As with any other marginalized sub-culture, freedom isn't free, it takes work to change hearts and minds so that we can practice our way of life unhindered.
ReactReply - MEMemberAug 11, 2020
Great outcome. Didn't this hit the news a couple of years ago? I thought I saw something like this a few summers back? Is it just now going to court?
Thanks,ReactReply - DD
Dancin' Dan (prone to dance)Aug 11, 2020continuing the thread - i too, have a case pending. it has not been resolved so i will not elaborate in this comment. but i will lay out the story, legal ramifications, the AANR component and the final resolution when it comes.
in the meantime, i challenge you all to do a little web research on the "indecent exposure" laws in your state, county, city.
bottom line: i does NOT matter what you think your rights are, on your property or in your own home. what matters is what the complainant thinks, what the prosecutor thinks (and their boss), and ultimately, what the judge thinks. your opinion is not relevant!!
i have almost 10,000$ in expenses to make my point.
ReactReply - MEMemberAug 12, 2020
It's a shame you have to spend so much money to prove you were not doing anything wrong.
ReactReply - DO
donAug 12, 2020thats awesome. been aanr member for 20 years... and i've been cited too. welcome to the club ;)
ReactReply - GO
Gordy57Aug 12, 2020[quote]That's great... Here's a story from South Florida, guy does yard work nude and local law enforcement told the neighbors he can do that.. https://rare.us/rare-news/across-the-u-s-a/florida-man-naked-yard-work/[/quote] Thanks for the link. The way it is written made for some good chuckles ;-) "pulling weeds not himself", " winding up his hose, the one to water the lawn with" Back to the main topic. Congratulations :-)ReactReply - MEMemberOriginal PosterAug 12, 2020
Not the same case, this happened in June. I hope it's not in the news!!
ReactReply - RW
Ray WhiteAug 14, 2020The problem is, in Florida and some other states. Indecent exposure is recorded as a sexual offense and becomes a record. You need to make sure that it does not go on your record.
ReactReply - BA
BairskynAug 14, 2020bpmtn1: Congrats!
AANR: Fantastic work. Very well done.
22tango2: May you enjoy success as well. The cost is very unfortunate--in fact, punitive in itself--but if successful, worth it.ReactReply