Colorado aggressively prosecutes individuals arrested and charged with indecent exposure. These crimes may seem innocent but if you are convicted, you may be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of your life. Understanding the severity of indecent exposure charges is important to mounting a swift legal defense. If you are arrested and charged with indecent exposure in Colorado, do not speak to arresting officers without your attorney present. What you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
What is Considered Indecent Exposure in Colorado?
If you knowingly expose your genitals to other people, you may be charged with indecent exposure. This crime also includes individuals who masturbate in public in front of other people. It is important to know, however, that if you are arrested for masturbation in public, your genitals do not have to be exposed to be charged with indecent exposure. In order to be convicted of this crime, the prosecutors must show both intent and location. You must have knowingly exposed your genitals and you must have done so in a public place. The prosecutor must also prove that you exposed your genitals with the intent to arouse or cause sexual desires and that you did so under circumstance that would cause alarm in other people.
For example: If you were visiting a nude beach and decided to take off your clothes, you would not be charged with indecent exposure because others would not be alarmed by this behavior and you did not do so with the intent to arouse others.
Further Reading: WHY WAS I PULLED OVER AND ARRESTED FOR DRUNK DRIVING?
Penalties for Indecent Exposure are Serious
Individuals who are arrested and charged with indecent exposure mistakenly believe that these charges are not that serious. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. The penalties for indecent exposure range greatly depending on the circumstances involved and the individual’s prior criminal history. Indecent exposure is a class 1 misdemeanor and punishable by up to 18 months in jail. If the individual has a history of indecent exposure, then it may be charged as a class 6 felony offense. A conviction for indecent exposure does require that you register as a sex offender.
If you’ve been arrested and charged with indecent exposure, you need an experienced Boulder criminal defense lawyer on your side from the start. Your attorney may be able to have the charges against you dismissed or reduced to a lesser charge, such as public indecency. Without an attorney, however, you could face serious penalties and consequences that could last a lifetime.
Contact Our Boulder Criminal Defense Lawyers Today
When your future is in jeopardy and you’re facing criminal charges, you need experienced legal counsel immediately. Contact the Boulder criminal defense lawyers at Steven Louth Law Offices today for a free consultation and review of your case. Call us at (303) 422-2297 to start building a solid defense against these serious criminal charges.