Public Indecency in Jefferson County – Urinating in Public
Public Indecency can happen in the most unusual circumstances. A friend of mine lives in unincorporated Jefferson County. He told me that late one summer’s night, there was a loud argument at a neighbor’s home and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department came to investigate. Once things calmed down, and he thought everyone had had left, he heard a noise below his bedroom window. There he found a Sheriff Deputy urinating in the bushes. My friend did not let the deputy know that he saw him – but was amused with the potential report. My friend said that he was in a situation once where he really had to pee and did the same thing. So, he was not going to call in a report on the deputy. If you have to go, and a deputy is called, don’t expect the same kindness. Public Indecency
Public Indecency and a Permanent Criminal Record in Arapahoe County and Douglas County
Public Indecency, C.R.S. 18-7-301, is considered a minor offense, but it can create big problems if you are charged in Aurora, Greenwood Village, or Glendale Colorado. These Arapahoe County municipalities all have laws prohibiting Public Indecency. The Colorado Public Indecency statute makes it possible to be charged with a petty offense in a Municipal Court, like Lone Tree, or a County Court. Often, people who are charged with this offense will trust a prosecutor who convinces them to take a plea bargain before talking with a criminal defense attorney. Prosecutors are the people paid to penalize offenders, and they do not seek a defendant’s best interest. They do not explain what a criminal record for Douglas County Public Indecency can do to future employment or how open criminal records will impact them.
Public Indecency Law is Subjective | Don’t Fight it Alone in Denver and Adams County
Any person can be charged with Public Indecency in Denver if he or she knowingly exposing his or her genitals to the view of a person where it is likely to cause alarm. It only needs to be a situation where it is likely to happen, not that it actually happens. It can be like the deputy in the example above, or it might happen if a couple in Adams County engages in sexual activity in the outdoors. The subjective language in the statute is specifically designed to leave a conviction up to a Denver judge or a jury. Don’t take that chance alone.
If you are charged with Public Indecency, you do not have to fight it alone. We urge you to be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and call us at 303-731-0719. Together we can protect your future.