While being charged with any crime can be a significant interference and negative experience in your life, being charged with open and gross lewdness, or indecent exposure, can have even more severe consequences. Not only can your personal freedom be at risk, but your career and relationships with friends and family can be adversely affected by this charge.
As felony lawyers in Las Vegas, The Law Offices of Benjamin Nadig can help defendants face all types of charges, including open and gross lewdness. Let’s examine precisely what the charge means and how we can help you:
What the Court Needs to Prove
To successfully charge you with this indecent exposure, the courts have to prove a few things. These elements include:
Exposure of private body parts
Typically this refers to male and female genitalia, and female breasts.
Willful exposure
This means there needs to be intent for the exposure. If you jump into a swimming pool and you accidentally lose your bathing suit, you would not be charged.
Public exposure
The exposure must have taken place in public or any area that is visible to the public.
Exposure to another
To be charged with this crime, another person needs to be in sight of the exposure.
Penalties
Open and gross lewdness charges are typically misdemeanors, but repeated offenses can result in a felony conviction. We fight tenaciously to get you acquitted on all charges of indecent exposure, because along with straining your personal life, a conviction for this crime can result in stiff penalties. This can include not only fines and probation, but community service as well. In fact, you may even face incarceration.
Defenses
Many times, charges for indecent exposure can be the result of accidental or unintentional exposure. For example, an act with a lack of sexual motivation, such as urinating in public, can be a reasonable defense against these charges. Likewise, getting dressed in a bathroom without knowing that a window is open can create exposure to someone outside the room. However, a lack of intent to expose can also be a useful defense in this case.
Regardless of your situation, if you have been charged with open and gross lewdness, you should seek counsel from our Las Vegas felony attorneys at The Law Offices of Benjamin Nadig. These are serious charges and require a criminal defense lawyer. Let us help you defend your case.
For more information, or to retain our services, call us today at 702-706-0076.