A man was arrested this past weekend after police allege that a video was posted to the internet which shows the suspect urinating on a marked police vehicle. According to police, a crowd cheered him on outside a movie theater in West Orange. Because the video circulated through social media, police were able to identify the suspect as 22 year-old Tauqeer Boyd of West Orange. He was arrested less than 24 hours after the incident took place. Boyd was charged with lewdness, criminal mischief, and disorderly conduct.
Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said, “We will absolutely not tolerate disrespect of our police.” Ambrose said that they take this as a personal insult which is why the department moved so quickly to apprehend the suspect. Boyd was also arrested this past October and charged with burglarizing a police vehicle parked outside the Hoboken Police Department. Click here to read more at www.nj.com.
Lewdness is codified under N.J.S.A. 2C:14-4, which provides:
a. A person commits a disorderly persons offense if he does any flagrantly lewd and offensive act which he knows or reasonably expects if likely to be observed by other nonconsenting persons who would be affronted or alarmed.
b. A person commits a crime of the fourth degree if:
1. He exposes his intimate parts for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the actor or of any other person under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects he is likely to be observed by a child who is less than 13 years of age where the actor is at least four years older than the child.
2. He exposes his intimate parts for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the actor or of any other person under circumstances where the actor knows or reasonably expects he is likely to be observed by a person who because of mental disease or defect is unable to understand the sexual nature of the actor s conduct.
A crime of the Fourth Degree is punishable by a term of up to 18 months in New Jersey State Prison.
A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of up to 6 months in the county jail.
If you or someone you know is charged with Lewdness, you should contact a criminal defense attorney immediately. Criminal defense lawyer, Alissa D. Hascup is skilled and experienced at defending these cases and can seek to avoid the imposition of a jail term by negotiating an alternative disposition on your behalf. Contact her office for a free consultation about your case. She is available 24/7 at 862-257-1200.
