Peeping Tom. When we hear the name, we conjure images that are almost comical — a young boy, coming of age, spying on his older, sexually experienced neighbor, learning about sex.
While this may seem innocent, such acts violate privacy and break the law. A Peeping Tom Oklahoma conviction has serious repercussions, because Okmulgee officials take this crime seriously.
What is a Peeping Tom Oklahoma?
A Peeping Tom Oklahoma is a voyeur — a person who gets sexual gratification from surreptitiously viewing or recording another person engaged in a private activity such as undressing, using the toilet, or who is engaged in a private sexual act, in a location in which that person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 1171
Penalties
Most often, Peeping Tom charges are filed as a misdemeanor in Oklahoma. But this depends on the circumstances of each case. It can also be charged as a felony, a much more serious offense in Oklahoma. So what differentiates one from the other?
A misdemeanor Peeping Tom Oklahoma scenario might be a young man with a pair of binoculars spying on a neighbor who is changing clothes. This is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year and a fine up to $5,000.
So when does Peeping Tom Oklahoma become a felony crime? It is one thing to spy on a person. It is another to record their private act or to publish a picture or movie of it on the internet or elsewhere.
Peeping Tom activities are chargeable as a felony when a person uses photographic, electronic, or video equipment in a clandestine manner for any illegal, illegitimate, prurient, lewd, or lascivious purpose, or who publishes or distributes any image obtained from such act. This is a much more serious incursion into a person’s privacy, and is punished accordingly.
Unfortunately, it is all too easy these days to upload content that can forever change someone’s private life. If convicted, you could serve up to five years in prison in addition to paying a fine of up to $5,000.
Peeping Tom is a Sex Crime in Okmulgee
A Peeping Tom Oklahoma conviction is a sex crime conviction. This requires registration with the sexual offender registry upon your release from jail. This can affect your life for years if you are convicted.
Low-cost Consultation: Okmulgee Criminal Defense Attorney
If you or a loved one needs to speak with an Okmulgee criminal defense attorney regarding a Peeping Tom Oklahoma charge, call 918-756-9600 now for a low-cost consultation.
Or, enter your legal question or concern in the form at the top right of this page, and one of our attorneys will promptly return your message.
