Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
A local man is facing three separate criminal cases related to him allegedly exposing himself to the University of North Florida students. According to an article on news4jax.com, the man showed his penis to two woman students on the actual campus and two women off campus. The man is facing one count of misdemeanor stalking and four charges of exposure of sexual organs. The stalking charge stems from allegations that after exposing himself to one of the students, he followed her in his vehicle all over town. The woman saw the man’s car tag and it matched the suspect’s car. This particular stalking charge is a first degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. In order to prove it, the State Attorney’s Office must prove the man willfully, maliciously and repeatedly followed, harassed or cyberstalked the woman.
The other charges of exposure of sexual organs fit the same pattern, according to reports. The man allegedly asked the women for directions or some other question while masturbating. Police showed the women photo spreads of potential suspects and all of the women picked him out of the lineup. The women also described the man’s car and surveillance video shows the women making contact with the same vehicle.
Exposure of sexual organs, while not a delineated Jacksonville sex charge, is still considered sexual in nature and more serious than other misdemeanors. This Duval misdemeanor is also a first degree misdemeanor and the law makes it unlawful to expose or exhibit one’s sexual organs in public or on the private property of someone else in a vulgar or indecent manner. The law also applies to being naked in public.
Even though these are misdemeanor charges, the prosecutor assigned to the man’s case will almost assuredly think there is a sexual issue with this particular suspect because of the amount of alleged victims. If the man enters plea negotiations with the State, part of the proposed sentence will probably include the man getting a psychosexual evaluation and complying with any recommended follow-up treatment. This evaluation is performed by a doctor and determines the risk someone poses to the community. Counseling and periodic polygraph examinations are usually the recommended treatment.
If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Jacksonville Sex Crime Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.