Posecutors are expected to drop charges against the Naked Yoga Guy

[matcom]

<snip>

Prosecuting a nuisance -- even a naked one -- is turning out to be more than just a nuisance for the San Francisco district attorney. It's proving to be nearly impossible.

First, there was the failed attempt to silence the infamous Bushman, whose "Ugga-bugga!'' still scares the daylights out of Fisherman's Wharf tourists.

Now comes the Naked Yoga Guy (a.k.a. George Monty Davis), whose in-the- buff appearances have landed him in court today on charges of dropping his pants in public along the wharf.

From the looks of things, he'll walk, too.

Prosecutors, we've been told, plan to drop the misdemeanor public nuisance complaint lodged against the 58-year-old self-described naturist.

"Being naked in San Francisco is not a crime,'' explained D.A. spokeswoman Debbie Mesloh, "unless the gentleman had lewd conduct or was obstructing traffic.''

And proving lewd conduct isn't all that easy, according to prosecutors. Not after a California appellate court, ruling that nudity itself is not a crime, struck down an indecent exposure ruling four years ago against a 16- year-old Los Angeles County teenager who mooned passing motorists from the sidewalk.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/09/22/BAGQO8SQIK1.DTL