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8/29/08
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23 comments
Police summon 3 who took naked plunge
GREENVILLE, Maine — The Skinny Dip sandwich at the Black Frog Restaurant is free if you bare all and brave a jump into the cold waters of Moosehead Lake, but the court fee for indecent conduct isn’t. Three friends who took the plunge bare-naked over the weekend and had the tasty sliced prime rib in a baguette roll may now have wished they’d ordered another meal or paid the $10.95 for the sandwich. Crystal Stilwell, 25, of Bath, Bernard Beckwith, 31, of Windham, and Christian Simpson, 37, of Bethel, each were summoned by Greenville police for indecent conduct. Their initial court appearances were set for Sept. 15 in 13th District Court in Dover-Foxcroft. The Class E crime is punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, according to Piscataquis County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy. Almy said Wednesday that the punishment for such a misdemeanor would not involve jail time and that the fine would likely range from $300 to $500 each. The trio doffed their duds at about 5 p.m. and dashed off a barge behind the Pritham Avenue restaurant into the water in full view of diners, who apparently enjoyed the brief show. The barge, which is part of the Black Frog and is attached to the main restaurant by a walkway and ramp, features a dining area and a bar. Restaurant owner Leigh Turner said Thursday that all of the 40 to 50 patrons on the barge at the time were asked in advance if they would be offended if someone jumped naked from the barge and no one objected. But Greenville Police Chief Scott MacMaster said Wednesday that a family that had been standing on the boardwalk nearby was offended and had contacted police. Ironically, the naked plunge also was observed by a local game warden who had been refueling his boat, he said. When police arrived and issued the summons, all of the restaurant patrons on the barge pitched in and donated money to the streakers to help pay the fine, according to Turner. He believed the guests provided about $150 to each of the three skinny dippers. Turner said he has had one or two people a week order the sandwich and then take the naked plunge, but usually the dips are done later in the evening when the streakers aren’t as visible. “This is not done to offend anybody, and it was certainly not done to make anybody upset, which is why everybody on the barge was asked beforehand if anybody would be offended,” Turner said. Turner said he has no plans to do away with his offer of a free sandwich for the nude dip.
Comments
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa What a bunch of whiners, turn away. I often wondered where Barny Fife went to. Now I know for sure that he is alive and well working for the Greenville Police Department. Come on guys QUIT wasting taxpayers money and valuable court time and go out and find some real crime to stop !!! Why couldn't they look away from the swimmers if this was so offensive? It only takes one to spoil a good time for everybody. Must have been from away. omg...there are more important issues for the police to address in this area...like the HUGE drug problem Get over it people, you were born this way. How can you be offended by seeing what everyone else was born with? The same stuff, yet people have to be "offended" Get over it and Greenville PD find some bigger fish to fry! This has been done many times at this business. If I was there I would have leaped in nude too and tell the cops to take a hike. Give me a break! The patrons in the restaurant didnt mind that three people jumped in the water wearing thier bathing suits. Why should the people across town mind? All three probably look better naked than the dressed, doughnut eating cops that were pushing thier pens! And today's survey is whether /not they should face criminal charges. Wow-- we're talking possible end of sense of humor AND personal responsibility. I can already here one of the three thinking, "Hhmmm... I'll call a lawyer and we'll sue the restaurant because it was ENTICEMENT!! It's THEIR FAULT! (wasn't finished yet)-- restaurants should have fun with menus; people can swim naked if they want; viewers don't have to look; and law enforcement can use common sense and work hard on serioous matters... I have to say I am not surprised this is in the paper. Some people are very closed minded unfortunately. But I have to agree with every poster here, the police department and people really need to get a life. The restaurant was not offended and well honestly it was all in fun. The family that was offended could of just turned around until it was done. I am a nudist from California and though I did so in known and posted nudity areas and places this was all in fun and I really hope that the three of them do it again! I think the Greenville needs to get a life and realize this is going to happen on occassion the restaurant is there offering this so why not do it! Unbelievable!
As posted on the other Greenville story, the law after an armed man in a local store one day and then writing a summons for naked swimmers the next....a variety of experience for the police in this town! Smoking pot is just as harmless as swimming naked. Police should focus on real crimes.
That must be one hell of a sandwich..... It was probably some one with an holy then tho attitude that reported it to the police.. people really need to get a life.. they were just nude for crying out loud The people that were offended are probably offended every time they take a shower & have to look in the mirror at themselves....'WOW'! These folks are brave. I would never do that. Some methhead would steal my wallet while I was in the water. First of all I am sure the police do not want to respond to such complaints. But if they are called they must respond. So imaging if you called the police to complain about a large loud party next door and they did not respond when you called again they simple sad we are now choosing what crimes we enforce and that is not important boy you would be mad then.Also that crime is a class E crime it is the same as simple assault, oas, disordley conduct etc .So by MAINE law it is a Real Crime if you dont like the law talk to your state rep or senator they make the laws not the police they only enforce it. This is goverment 101 I was taught this it in the 5th grade. Second of all the Black frog is located next to the town board walk , the local ice cream spot, and the " The Kate" all very populated spots in Greenville at 500 pm . So why should I have to cover my kids eyes when some one decides to streak down a dock naked for a free sandwich. This is not college or a frat party. Maybe if people would not do these things then the police could do something more productive with there time . Or maybe we in Greenville should all move to Dover Foxcroft and complain about huge drug problems in Greenville. It sure is easier to complain about some one else's problems then fix or own isn't it. Yah - they are whiners! The people who were so offended should go back home where they came from. They HAVE to be from away! I thought it was not against the law in Maine for a woman to go topless if she wanted - remember the woman who rode her lawn mower topless? She was not arrested and was told she had the right to do do that if she wanted. Granted, it was on her own property, but the property owner here encouraged this fun. What is wrong with people? A little fun like this is no crime and the cops wasting their time on something like this? They should be dealing with real crime, like missing kids and partroling neighborhoods where there are a lot of children to make sure they are safe. There are a lot of sex offenders around - check one of those lists they have and you'll be shocked as to how many are living near you and your family. They must have nothing to do to even bother citing these people - they didn't have to do that - the cops - no matter if some uptight tourists did complain. They could have given them a verbal warning and left it at that and that would have been the end of it. Geeze - too bad we have to let tourists into Maine. There is so much competition in the restraunt business...this is s great advertising tactic, look at how much attention and publicity it got here...NOW there will be cameras in the woods taping all the naked jumpers and we will see on YOU TUBE haha. I have seen this happen at the restaurant while I was on the Katahdin, and I did object. I'm not a prude; there is appropriate activity and inappropriate activity, and this is inappropriate. If you were sitting in the restaurant, would you raise your hand and say you object so that anyne that doesn't would give you a hard time? I would, but I'm a big mouth! I'm not from away and know what kind of reputation the owner has. It's too bad if the only nudity you can enjoy is on a public pier! Let the police and the courts do their job. JusticeLeague- While Police needs to respond to every "complaint" they don't need to issue a summons or fine people either or go by the book. Let's take for example, earlier this year 2 "kids" from Mass. was doing 69 over the speed limit because they was on their way to Sugarloaf. Now if it was myself or anyone else doing 69 over the limit that makes you a danger to other drivers, the book says them cops should have cuffed them, stuffed them, and kept their carcasses in the jail cell, but no instead they got slapped on the hand, a little piece of paper to go to court in a month, BUT feel free to go back out on the roadway on your way from Gardiner to Sugarloaf out of the way and hopefully another cop won't catch you going so fast again. Fell free to drive even though you could kill someone! But because they were tourists bringing money....yeah the rest is obvious. An Officer can choose to enforce any complaint or law, heck I seen State Troopers, local cops at the highway, I do the speed limit, 55 or 65, another vehicle goes sailing right past me like they own the road, and the cops, well do nothing, BUT someone just "broke the law" and I even signal to the cops who look at me pointing this out and they did not "respond" or "react" I am sure the offended people, were tourists. Remember a couple years back an officer in I believe it was Orono attempted to fine 2 girls for walking nude, the case got tossed out, why? because there was nothing indecent about walking with what the hell it was you was born with, didn't see any genitals anyways, and that is what these close minded morons don't grasp these days. The restaurant has done this for quite a while now and because "a few morons" (I will refer to them as) out of what...all the people in the place of business, all the other people nearby was "offended" so the cops had to look like heros and write summons for something so petty as this. If you or other people can't grasp nudity being natural you need your brain cells evaluated just as well as Greenville PD. the police could have given them a warning...they didnt have to charge them. As the "Mom" of one of the naked plungers (and a child of the 60's), I may be a little biased but I want everyone to know that I am proud. To all the "Dippers" I say,I hope you keep your sense of humor, stay true to who you are and have continue to have fun on the path less taken as you go through this life. And to those of you who have a problem with tourists, please don't judge us all by the way these people handled the situation. When we come to Maine, we don't leave our sense of humor at home. JusticeLeague & LawandOrder are the only ones out of this whole bunch that sound REMOTELY sane! |
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