Those who have ridden The Metrolink train into downtown Los Angeles know that it’s typically a pretty uneventful ride.
Recently, though, a few unfortunate women were subjected to some decidedly less… picturesque scenery on their commute. Allegedly, a man on the number 216 train from Lancaster to Union Station was exposing himself to female passengers. When the passengers complained to the staff on board the train, the LA County Sheriff Transit Services Bureau had deputies meet the train at a stop in the Santa Clarita Valley and arrest the suspect.
He is described as being a man in his 40s and is currently being held at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station under suspicion of indecent exposure.
Indecent Exposure is covered under California Penal Code 314 PC and is described as “willfully exposing one’s genitals to another person in order to either offend the victim, or sexually gratify the suspect.”
While indecent exposure is typically a crime in which nobody is seriously hurt, the penalties can be particularly devastating if an individual is convicted. Most first-offenses end up with a sentence of up to 6 months in county jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. Second offenses can be prosecuted as felonies, though, and result in a stay in California State prison.
The real damning part of both misdemeanor and felony convictions, though, is the mandatory registration as a sex offender. Regardless of how long one stays in jail or prison (if they spend any time there at all), registering as a sex offender lasts a lifetime and can have serious consequences.
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