Police in southern Maine are looking for a man who they say is a suspect in a series of indecent exposures in Sanford, Portland, Gorham, and Scarborough.
While indecent exposure is one of Maine’s least severe sex crimes, numerous counts of indecent exposure can quickly rack up. Each separate incident can become another count.
Maine Police Searching for Man Accused of Exposing Himself to Women
Police in Sanford, Maine, say they received several calls from local women on Sunday, October 13, 2019, about a man who they say was exposing himself to them or acting inappropriately in public.
Several calls were complaints that a man was making inappropriate and sexual comments to women. Two other calls came from separate Aroma Joe’s coffee shops in Sanford, where a man with the same description was “touching himself” and trying to get into the buildings.
In each situation, the man was gone before police could arrive. People have said that the man was driving a dark and beat-up Chevy pickup truck.
The descriptions of the man match other recent police calls about indecent behavior in the southern Maine area.
One of the calls came from a woman who was jogging in Portland. She said that a man in a beat-up Chevy pickup truck exposed himself to her and followed her on her jog until she ran to a nearby fire station.
Two other calls came from students at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, who claim that a man in a similar-looking truck exposed himself to them on campus before leaving.
Multiple Incidents Can Mean Multiple Charges of Indecent Exposure
In Maine, Maine Statute 17-A § 854(1)(A)(2) makes it illegal to knowingly expose your genitals in circumstances that are likely to cause “affront or alarm.”
Typically, indecent exposure is a Class E crime – the least severe criminal offense in Maine – and is punished by up to $1,000 in fines and up to six months in jail.
However, an offense of indecent exposure happens at every exposure. While there is room for discussion about when one exposure becomes multiple incidents, exposing yourself to different people in different areas makes it very likely that prosecutors and the court will treat the incidents as distinct from one another.
Once they are distinct, each indecent exposure becomes a separate Class E offense, with each offense carrying up to six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines. Getting charged with multiple or numerous counts of indecent exposure can make a minor offense much more severe.
Maine Criminal Defense Lawyers at Maine Criminal Defense Group
The criminal defense lawyers at Maine Criminal Defense Group legally represent Mainers who have been accused of sex offenses, including indecent exposure. When there are multiple counts of indecent exposure, the penalties of a conviction can grow very quickly. Challenging the evidence presented in each and every count is essential.
The lawyers at Maine Criminal Defense Group can provide that defense. Contact us online or call our Portland law office at (207) 571-8146 for the legal help you need.
