A 79-year-old Florida man’s unique interpretation of state law didn’t hold up after he was arrested for repeatedly exposing himself to neighbors at his apartment complex.
The Incident
Residents of a Hollywood, Florida apartment complex had reportedly reached their limit with Tyrone James Causey, 79. According to police reports, neighbors complained that Causey was consistently exposing himself in common areas. The final straw came when a neighbor’s doorbell camera captured him making explicit, lewd gestures directly at the lens.
The “Thong” Confrontation
When a Hollywood Police officer arrived at Causey’s unit to investigate, the senior answered the door wearing nothing but lipstick and a G-string thong.
Instead of backing down, Causey offered a confident, if entirely incorrect, legal defense:
- He claimed he had a constitutional “right to walk around naked“ under Florida statutes.
- He argued that public exposure is “only illegal in parks, not in public” areas like his building.
- He later admitted to the behavior but claimed he didn’t realize his neighbors were actively filming him.
The Legal Reality: The responding officer had to clarify that exposing oneself in the shared, common areas of an apartment complex is absolutely illegal under Florida law.
The Arrest
After providing the officer with explicit commentary and applying more lipstick, Causey was taken into custody. Following statements from five separate neighbors who witnessed the incidents, he was charged with five counts of indecent exposure.
Because of a prior indecent exposure arrest on his record dating back to 1987, the charges were initially filed as felonies. However, a Broward County judge later reduced them, finding probable cause for misdemeanor charges instead.
Suresh holds a Master of Commerce (M.Com) degree and is a dedicated personal finance researcher and writer. Combining his advanced academic background in commerce with deep industry research, he covers complex topics like taxation, banking systems, credit analysis, and personal finance strategies. As the founder of Tax Assistant (taxassistant.org), Suresh is committed to translating complicated financial guidelines and economic data into simple, accurate, and actionable educational resources for everyday readers.
