Indecent Exposure Defense Lawyer in Utah

What is Indecent Exposure?

The words ‘indecent exposure’ are a legal term that refer to the act of exposing one’s genitals in a public setting and is classified as a sex crime in the state of Utah. A charge of indecent exposure, or lewdness, can carry harsh penalties including fines and jail time that will depend on the nature of the offense and previous convictions. An offense against public order and decency, of bodily exposure, in the presence of another person who is fourteen years of age or older that will knowingly cause alarm is considered indecent exposure or lewdness according to Utah criminal code section 76-9-702: Lewdness.

The Beehive State’s indecent exposure law, Utah Criminal Code section 76-9-702 outlines the following:

First or Second Violation of Indecent Exposure
A first or second violation of indecent exposure is considered a class B misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 and/or up to a six-month jail sentence, if convicted. Specific exposure in public is defined as revealing genitals, the pubic area, buttocks, anus or the female breast below the top of the areola. The act of indecent exposure does not include sexual intercourse, sodomy or masturbation.

Indecent Exposure Third-Degree Felony
The penalty for indecent exposure convicted as a third-degree felony carries fines of up to $5,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment. The conviction of indecent exposure or lewdness is escalated to a third-degree felony if the follow circumstances are involved:

• Has already been convicted of lewdness two or more times.
• The accused person is a convicted sex offender in violation of sex offender restrictions: Utah Code of Criminal Procedures 77-27-21.7.
• Has previously been convicted of lewdness involving a child.