State of Maryland
Art. 27, 335A Indecent exposure..
Every person convicted of the common-law crime of indecent exposure is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than three years or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both. (1977, ch. 384, 1.)
{Footnotes}
Language of section is clear and unambiguous. Neal v. State, 45 Md. App. 549, 418 A.2d 1886, cert. denied, 288 Md. 740 (1980).
Preamble to section is not an operative portion of the law, notwithstanding that it may be resorted to as a statutery construction aid. Neal v. State, 45 Md. App. 549,418 A.2d 1886, cert. denied, 288 Md. 740 (1980).
Indecent exposure not infamous crime. - The wide spectrum of conduct and degrees of depravity associated with indecent exposure make it clear that it does not conform with those offenses regarded as infamous. Whatever else it may be, indecent erposure is not an infamous crime. Ricketts v. State, 291 Md. 701, 486 A2d 906 (1981).
Nor is it crime of moral turpitude for purposes of assessing defendant's credibility. - Indecent exposure is a general intent crime that includes within its scope an innumerable variety of offenses, including acts that are reckless or negligent. As such its meaning is entirely too unspectiic to warrant the appellation of a crime of moral turpitude, at least in the context of determining whether conviction for indecent exposure was relevant to assessment of the credibility of a criminal defendant. Ricketts v. State, 291 Md. 701, 486 A.2d 906 (1981).
Conviction under this section inadmissible for impeachment of defendant's credibility. - Indecent exposure is a lesser crime for which the proscribed conduct includes such a wide variety of behavior that the factfinder would be unable to make a reasoned judgment as to whether the offense affects the defendant's credibility; it is inadmissible for purposes of impeachment. Ricketts v. State, 291 Md. 701, 486 A.2d 906 (1981).
Cited in Lee v. State, 62 Md. App. 841,489 A.2d 87 (1985).