If you have been charged with indecent exposure in the state of Oklahoma, our skilled criminal defense team can help you protect your rights.
Although indecent exposure is a less serious offense than sexual assault, rape, sexual battery, and other sex crimes in Oklahoma, the long-term consequences associated with an indecent exposure conviction can be just as severe. Despite the fact that Oklahoma law considers indecent exposure a misdemeanor offense, compared to the aforementioned felony crimes, any person convicted of indecent exposure in Oklahoma will still be required to register as a sex offender with the state, a devastating consequence for a crime that is often harmless in nature. If you are facing charges for indecent exposure in Oklahoma, don’t assume the punishment for a conviction won’t be a big deal. Contact our experienced defense attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center today, and begin building a strong defense to protect yourself from a conviction that could alter the rest of your life.
What is Indecent Exposure?
According to Title 43A, Section 10-103(12) of the Oklahoma Statutes, the term “indecent exposure” involves the act of forcing or requiring a vulnerable adult to do the following:
- Look upon the body or private parts of another person, or upon sexual acts performed in the presence of the vulnerable adult, or
- Touch or feel the body or private parts of another person
Take note that indecent exposure is an offense that applies only to exposing oneself to an adult; this type of offense involving children is a much different and much more serious crime. Unfortunately, indecent exposure is an offense that extends to all manner of exposing oneself in public, including urinating in public, which is typically a harmless offense in nature, but may still require the individual to register as a sex offender.
Penalties Associated With Indecent Exposure
In general, and unless extenuating circumstances apply to your case, indecent exposure is considered a misdemeanor offense in Oklahoma, punishable by up to one year in prison. The long-term consequences of an indecent exposure conviction however, can change the rest of an offender’s life. It is the unfortunate truth that an individual arrested for urinating in public can be charged with indecent exposure and forced to live for the next ten years or the rest of his or her life labeled as a sex offender for this crime.
Registering as a sex offender requires a person to do a number of things, the most important of which involves updating your contact information and place of residence with local law enforcement. This must be done every time you move and severely restricts where you are allowed to live in proximity to parks and schools, and the requirement can last for up to ten years or even for the rest of your life. The information you provide to the police will be made available to the public, and failure to register can result in serious consequences.
Contact Our Criminal Defense Team Today
Our criminal defense attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center know how humiliating and devastating it can be to be labeled a sex offender, especially for a crime as minor as many indecent exposure offenses. Whether you have to register as a sex offender for a few years or for life, the stigma associated with that label never goes away. If you have been charged with indecent exposure in Oklahoma, contact our qualified criminal defense attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center today. Our skilled defense team have years of experience helping Oklahomans defend themselves against sex crimes. Don’t put your future at risk by not securing knowledgeable legal counsel; our criminal defense lawyers are standing by, ready to help.