ST. LOUIS — Is it legal to drive around naked? Yes and no.
Missouri law says it is illegal to expose your genitalia to others in public. While this crime is commonly referred to as “indecent exposure,” it is known as “sexual misconduct” in Missouri.
If anyone under the age of 15 sees you driving naked with the intent of alarming them or for sexual gratification, you could face up to 7 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
An attorney from Salt Lake City, Utah, Samuel A Goble, said that it is legal to dive around naked, but the law applies when people see you.
“For example, if you are naked in your home, that is legal. If you stand naked by your home window, that is also legal. If people see you naked through your window because your window is visible to the public, it just became illegal, and you are guilty of lewdness,” said Goble. “Same for your car.”
Goble goes on to say that the minute someone looks inside, and sees you naked, you just became a criminal. It is also your responsibility to know if you knew that your privates were visible to the public.
This was also the case for Gene Jeffrey of Marthasville, Mo.
Jeffrey would take a shower at 3 p.m. and walk around his house naked to air dry. He left the windows and front door open.
Because of these actions, his genitalia was exposed to at least two minor girls and a woman.
“If his house were out in the middle of the woods, that would be one thing,” the court said, “but when you’re in the confines of urban or semi-urban areas, that’s another.”
The court ruled that Jeffrey was aware that if he walked by his windows naked, someone might see him. He was sentenced to two counts of sexual misconduct involving a child under 15, a class D felony.
Jeffrey was also charged with two counts of attempting to commit the same offense. He was sentenced to 130 days in jail and $500 in fines.
It is legal to drive around naked. It is not legal if someone sees you.