Commonwealth v. Swan

897 N.E.2d 1015, 73 Mass. App. Ct. 258, 2008 Mass. App. LEXIS 1167
CourtMassachusetts Appeals Court
DecidedDecember 4, 2008
DocketNo. 07-P-503
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 897 N.E.2d 1015 (Commonwealth v. Swan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Appeals Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Swan, 897 N.E.2d 1015, 73 Mass. App. Ct. 258, 2008 Mass. App. LEXIS 1167 (Mass. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

McHugh, J.

After a jury-waived trial before a Superior Court judge, the defendant was convicted of indecent exposure, G. L. c. 272, § 53; open and gross lewdness, G. L. c. 272, § 16; and disorderly conduct under a voyeurism (“Peeping Tom”) theory, G. L. c. 272, § 53. On appeal, he claims that his motion for a required finding of not guilty as to all counts should have been allowed because the evidence was insufficient to support the convictions. We conclude that the evidence was sufficient to [259]*259sustain the convictions of indecent exposure and open and gross lewdness but was insufficient to sustain the conviction of disorderly conduct. Therefore, we reverse that judgment but affirm the other two.

Background. As is required in cases where a defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence, we review the record in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth. Commonwealth v. Latimore, 378 Mass. 671, 677 (1979). A reasonable fact finder could have found the following facts.

The defendant was a janitor at the Fiske Elementary School (Fiske) in Lexington when the two complaining witnesses, Nathan and Joshua,1 were students. Fiske had two wings, one for children in kindergarten and first grade and the other for older students. Each wing had a lavatory marked “Boys” and there were two lavatories in the main hallway marked “Men” and “Women.”2 No policy prohibited teachers and staff from using the children’s lavatories.

Nathan, who was in high school at the time of trial, had attended Fiske from first grade through fourth grade and knew the defendant from his time at Fiske. When Nathan was in the fourth grade he would see the defendant in the boys’ lavatory six or seven times per week. The boys’ lavatory had five urinals in a row, all without doors, and three stalls with doors. One of the urinals was designed for shorter boys and was much closer to the floor than the other four.

Nathan observed that the defendant always used the shortest of the five urinals. When other children were in the lavatory, the defendant would stand very close to the urinal. However, when Nathan and the defendant were alone in the lavatory, the defendant would stand far away from the urinal, exposing his penis, which was sometimes erect. The defendant would also stare at Nathan while Nathan used the urinal, making him feel embarrassed and threatened.

Joshua attended Fiske from kindergarten through the fifth grade and was in the fourth or fifth grade when he became aware of the defendant’s regular use of the boys’ lavatory. Joshua [260]*260always used the urinal at the far end of the lavatory and the defendant would always use the adjacent urinal, although others were unoccupied. The defendant would make “small talk” with Joshua and stand back far enough so that Joshua could see his penis. The defendant’s actions made Joshua feel “grossed out” and “nervous.” On one occasion, the defendant told Joshua that he would like to get a “penis ring.” Another time when Joshua’s sister was in a dance recital at Fiske, the defendant commented, “[I]imagine how that would feel pulling [tights] up over your pecker.” The defendant’s comments made Joshua feel angry, upset, and anxious.

Reports of the defendant’s activities made their way to authorities, and in subsequent investigations conducted by the school, the Department of Social Services,3 and the District Attorney’s office, the defendant denied acting inappropriately with any student at Fiske. At trial, the defendant’s attorney argued that no crimes occurred in the boys’ lavatory and that using a urinal inevitably required the defendant to expose his penis. The defendant also emphasized that there was no policy prohibiting an adult from using the children’s lavatories and that neither Nathan nor Joshua had alerted any adult immediately after the incidents.

The trial judge allowed the defendant’s motion for a required finding of not guilty with respect to the indictment charging him with open and gross lewdness in the presence of Nathan, but considered the lesser included offense of indecent exposure. The judge found the defendant guilty of indecent exposure and of disorderly conduct under a voyeurism theory with respect to the defendant’s actions toward Nathan. The judge also found the defendant guilty of open and gross lewdness with respect to Joshua. The defendant appeals the judge’s denial of his motion for a required finding of not guilty on all charges.

Open and gross lewdness. “Open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior” is prohibited by G. L. c. 272, § 16, but the statute does not define the offense. However, decisional law requires proof of five elements to support a conviction, i.e., that the defendant (1) exposed genitals, breasts, or buttocks; [261]*261(2) intentionally; (3) openly or with reckless disregard of public exposure; (4) in a manner so “as to produce alarm or shock”; (5) thereby actually shocking or alarming one or more persons. Commonwealth v. Kessler, 442 Mass. 770, 773 & n.4 (2004).

The defendant contends that the Commonwealth’s evidence at trial did not establish that the defendant openly exposed himself in a manner so as to produce shock or alarm, or that the victim was in fact shocked. We disagree.

Our review of the evidence persuades us that the trial judge, as fact finder, was warranted in the conclusion that the defendant intended to expose himself beyond the degree necessary for urination. See Commonwealth v. Quinn, 439 Mass. 492, 494-499 (2003). The defendant always used the urinal next to the one Joshua was using, even when more distant urinals were available, and stood far enough away from the urinal for Joshua to see his penis. The defendant also engaged in small talk, apparently encouraging Joshua to pay attention to him. From those acts and Joshua’s age, the judge could reasonably find an intent to produce shock or alarm. See Commonwealth v. Kessler, 442 Mass, at 777 (a child’s tender years may be considered in determining intent to produce alarm or shock because “there is arguably a greater risk of harm due to the child’s immaturity . . .”). In determining intent, the judge could also draw inferences from the two sexually explicit comments the defendant made to Joshua. See Commonwealth v. Rivera, 425 Mass. 633, 648-649 (1997). Finally, Joshua’s testimony that he was “grossed out” and made “nervous” by the defendant’s behavior, so much so that he rushed to leave the lavatory, establishes that he was alarmed as required by the statute. Contrast Commonwealth v. Kessler, 442 Mass, at 774 (testimony that the victim was “nervous” and “offended” but continued observing the defendant’s lewd behavior did not demonstrate that the victim was actually alarmed or shocked).

Indecent exposure. Indecent exposure requires “an intentional act of lewd exposure, offensive to one or more persons.” Commonwealth v. Broadland, 315 Mass. 20, 21-22 (1943), quoting from Commonwealth v. Bishop, 296 Mass. 459, 462 (1937). Viewed in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the judge was warranted in concluding that the Commonwealth had [262]*262proved its case.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
897 N.E.2d 1015, 73 Mass. App. Ct. 258, 2008 Mass. App. LEXIS 1167, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-swan-massappct-2008.