PA Superior Court: Exposing Genitals in Public Place Sufficient for Indecent Exposure Conviction Even If No One Around

Philadelphia Criminal Defense Lawyer Zak Goldstein

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has decided the case of Commonwealth v. Rudolf, holding that there is sufficient evidence to convict a defendant of indecent exposure when there is evidence that a defendant exposed his or her genitals in a public place. This decision seems somewhat surprising as the statute seems to require that there at least be a risk that someone else would encounter the person before criminal liability should attach.

Commonwealth v. Rudolf

A Lower Windsor Township Police officer was on patrol in a marked police car. At approximately 4:00 AM, he drove past an area with a large parking lot, boat launch, park, and a children’s playground. The officer saw the defendant standing by himself in the playground wearing a bright yellow sleeveless shirt and no pants. He was able to see the defendant’s genitalia. The officer then got out of his vehicle and began to move his spotlight toward the defendant. The defendant noticed the officer and then ran behind a tree. The officer then began to yell at the defendant. Eventually, after an unknown period of time, the defendant sat down at a picnic table and appeared to be putting on shorts. 

The officer then began speaking with the defendant. The defendant told the officer that he was in the park to work out, but the officer did not observe any fitness equipment nearby. However, the officer did notice that the defendant had a giant bottle of lotion with him. The officer then told the defendant to leave the area. However, about a half an hour later the same officer saw the defendant about 600 yards away. The officer again told the defendant to leave the area. Later on, the defendant was arrested and charged with open lewdness and indecent exposure. 

The defendant elected to proceed by jury trial. At trial, the above facts were placed into the record. The defendant testified on his behalf at trial. He testified that he drove to the playground to work out. Specifically, he would use “the monkey bars for pull-ups,…sit-ups, and leg raises, and that kind of stuff.” As he began to change his shorts, he noticed a light coming rom a car about a half a mile away. Because he was in a “compromising situation” he hid behind a bush. The defendant also stated that he was not naked the second time he saw the officer, but instead was wearing “pretty skimpy” running shorts. Additionally, the defense called a private detective who photographed the views of the playground at 4:00 AM and testified that it was incredibly dark and difficult to capture anything on film. 

At the conclusion of the trial, the jury returned a verdict of guilty for the charges of open lewdness and indecent exposure. The case proceeded immediately to sentencing where the trial court imposed 12 months’ probation for the charge of open lewdness and a concurrent sentence of 24 months’ probation for indecent exposure. The defendant did not file any post-sentence motions. The defendant’s attorney then withdrew from the case. The defendant then filed a pro se notice of appeal. The defendant later hired an attorney to represent him on appeal. The defendant raised two issues on appeal. For purposes of this blog, only the issue of whether the evidence was sufficient to support his conviction for indecent exposure will be addressed. 

What is Indecent Exposure?

18 Pa. C.S.A. § 3127 is the statute that governs the crime of indecent exposure. It states: 

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits indecent exposure if that person exposes his or her genitals in any public place or in any place where there are present other persons under circumstances in which he or she knows or should know that this conduct is likely to offend, affront or alarm.

(b) Grading.--If the person knows or should have known that any of the persons present are less than 16 years of age, indecent exposure under subsection (a) is a misdemeanor of the first degree. Otherwise, indecent exposure under subsection (a) is a misdemeanor of the second degree.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court’s Decision

The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the defendant’s conviction for indecent exposure. On appeal, the defendant argued that the Commonwealth failed to meet its burden because it did not establish that other persons were present or that he knew or should have known that his conduct was “likely to offend, affront, or alarm.” Specifically, the defendant argued that because where he was changing was “incredibly dark” and there was no one present other than the police officer that he had “no reason to believe that such conduct would likely to offend, affront, or alarm anyone.”

The Superior Court was not persuaded by this argument. The Superior Court reviewed 18 Pa. C.S.A. § 3127 and found that once the Commonwealth has shown that the act occurs in a public place, then it is not required to show that other people were present or that the actor knew or should have known that their conduct was likely to offend, affront, or alarm. In the instant case, it was undisputed that the defendant was in a public playground. Therefore, because the defendant’s actions took place in a public setting, the Commonwealth did not have to prove that he knew or should have known that his conduct was likely to offend, affront, or alarm. The defendant also did not get relief on his other claim. Consequently, the defendant’s convictions will stand and he will be forced to serve his probation sentence.   

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