Lawrence KS Community & Police Scanner The Kansas naked stroller.
Police in Lawrence, Kansas accuse 34-year-old Christopher Carlson of repeatedly strolling naked around town, one time right after he was released for the first nude stroll.
The sight of the naked man walking around town unnerved Lawrence residents.
“Man it was just insane. There’s no other way to describe it,” said Megan Engleman, a bartender, to FoxKC. Police identified the Kansas man as Christopher Steven Carlson.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Carlson Walked Naked Past a Starbucks & One Witness Said He Was ‘So Casual About It’
Witnesses expressed shock at seeing the completely naked man stroll past a Starbucks and other establishments on Sunday, July 31.
“He was just so casual about it and yes it was all just hanging out,” Engleman, the bartender, told FoxKC. “It’s just so funny and those pictures weren’t even flattering.”
Others were upset.
“Jaws dropped,” says Sophie Milstein, a restaurant server, to Kansas City.com. “It was from a movie or something.”
2. Police Cited Carlson But They Say He Did It Again
https://twitter.com/KansasDailyNews/status/892470505416142848
Carlson “was first taken into custody at around 2 p.m. Sunday on Massachusetts near Ninth Street. He was cited for indecent exposure, fined $500 and released,” Kansas City.com reported.
Police saw him yet again at 4:30 p.m. after he was released and cited him. He was naked – again, they say.
According to police, “Carlson was cited again for indecent exposure and theft of services at around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, when he was spotted sans clothes on West 10th Street just west of Massachusetts,” the newspaper reported.
3. People Posted Photos on Social Media of the Strolling Naked Man
‘Hey, there’s a naked guy’: Man gets arrested twice on same day for strolling naked in Kansas town t.co/plkoBiF3B4
The sight of a strolling naked man in Lawrence caused a stir on social media. The Lawrence KS Police Community & Scanner Facebook page noted, “We had ourselves a streaker on Mass St a little while ago. It was called in as a disturbance, but its not illegal to walk around naked as the day you were born in Kansas, unless a city has passed city code against it.”
The post, with a photo of Carlson, has more than 1,000 shares.
4. A Cab Driver Alleged Carlson Took His Clothes Off When He Couldn’t Pay His Fare
The motive for the naked strolling is not clear.
However, a cab driver told police that Carlson took the second naked walk after he couldn’t pay his cab fare.
“Lawrence police received another call from a taxi service about a man who was picked up from the Douglas County Jail. The driver said the man couldn’t pay for the fare and when he arrived at his destination he took off his clothes and left the vehicle,” reported KSHB.
He seemed okay,” the cab driver told the television station. “He talked to me. He carried on a small conversation with me.”
5. It’s Not Illegal to Walk Around Kansas Without Your Clothes On Under State Law
Walking around naked in Kansas is becoming a trend. The above photo is of a different naked walker, in Topeka, in 2014. In that case, the man was not arrested because it’s not against Kansas law to walk around in the buff.
In Lawrence, it’s an ordinance violation, though.
Kansas City Star reported that under Lawrence city ordinance, “public nudity is classified as a misdemeanor, even though state law does not consider it a crime, unless committed with ‘intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desires of the offender or another.”