An Alameda County judge says an Oakland carpenter caught hammering nails and sawing wood in the nude can legally work without wearing any clothes. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Julie Conger found Percy Honniball not guilty of indecent exposure Thursday. The 51-year-old was arrested last year after the he was spotted building cabinets in the buff at a home where he had been hired to work. Conger ruled that although Honniball was indeed naked he was not acting lewdly or seeking sexual gratification.
Police arrested Honniball for indecent exposure, a crime that includes public nudity and acting lewdly by intending to direct attention to one's genitals for sexual gratification. While there is no dispute Honniball was naked, Conger found that the carpenter was not acting lewdly, nor did he attempt to bring attention to his genitals for the purpose of sexual gratification. "What he learned was that you can get in trouble even when you do legal things," said David Beauvais, Honniball's attorney. "Even though there is a reaction, on the part of some people, to nudity ... it is not enough to charge somebody with this." Honniball said in an interview, "It's more comfortable." Honniball knew working in the nude caused problems. He feels that it facilitates his work, he has better range of movement," Beauvais said. "I could tell you some stories about nail guns, but we won't get into that."The carpenter has said he likes to work in the nude because it's more comfortable and helps him keep his clothes clean. Hasn't he ever heard of a washing machine?
