Indecent exposure in Lawton park puts man in jail

A man accused of exposing himself while behaving lewdly in a Lawton park is in jail on $20,000 bond.

Maurice Tarrell Miller, 26, of Lawton, made his initial appearance Tuesday in Comanche County District Court where he was charged with a felony count of indecent exposure, records indicate. The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Lawton Police Sgt. Brandon Newhouse stated he was called shortly before noon Saturday to Lemuel Harkey Park, a recreational area with a playground at 2201 SW 17th, on a call from an Animal Welfare officer regarding a man wearing a t-shirt and pants who was “pleasuring himself” on a park bench. The officer found the man lying on a park bench under the pavilion and made contact.

The man, Miller, was not “fully cooperative” and denied he’d engaged in the reported activity, the probable cause affidavit states. When asked if he did anything that could be misinterpreted as the reported activity, he said he may have been seen pulling up his pants; his outer pants were lowered around his mid-thigh exposing his undergarments, Newhouse stated.

A preliminary hearing for Miller is scheduled for 4 p.m. Jan. 2, 2025.