Indecent exposure is a criminal sex offense in Tennessee that carries a range of consequences. While the penalties for an incident exposure charge may seem less severe than for other Tennessee sex crimes, a conviction may affect your reputation, and even count towards sex offender status or registration with subsequent convictions.
Nashville sex crime lawyer Bernie McEvoy has worked with many people accused of indecent exposure and other sex offenses in Davidson and Williamson Counties, and can provide the guidance you need to fight the charges.
Indecent exposure is a crime relating to offensive sexual acts carried out with the intent that others may see. Tennessee law provides multiple situations that constitute indecent exposure, two of which involve a child. The first situation does not involve a particular victim. It requires that the defendant intentionally expose their genitals or buttocks to another person, or engage in sexual contact or sexual penetration, with the reasonable expectation that the acts will be viewed by another person.
The offense must take place in a public place, on the private property of another person, or where the activity may be seen from the private property of another person. The other forms of indecent exposure occur in the presence of a child. Indecent exposure is also committed if the adult, while in their home and in the intended presence of any child, intentionally masturbates or exposes their genitals or other private parts for sexual arousal or gratification.
In these situations, the defendant must eighteen years or older, and the child must be under thirteen years old. Indecent exposure is generally a class B misdemeanor for a first-time offense. However, circumstances that involve children may elevate the offense to a more serious charge. If the defendant is an adult aged eighteen or older and the victim is under thirteen years of age, indecent exposure is a Class A misdemeanor.
