Thursday, September 18, 2008

'Shirtless man ordered to pay a $25 fine'

I didn't even know they had laws prohibiting men from going topless. (That would never fly in Florida.) Story here.

Sep 18th, 2008 EASTON, Md. -- An man who was cited in June for not wearing a shirt has been ordered to pay a $25 fine and court fees. A related charge of failing to obey a lawful order has been dropped.

Sean Cephus, 18, was arrested June 4 when an officer spotted him going topless on South Street. A 1974 ordinance requires both women and men to wear a top while on public property. The arrest drew the attention of a San Diego-based national campaign called GoTopless.org. Member Nadine Gary called the Easton law "backwards."

Police acknowledge the ordinance is very rarely enforced but say it is sometimes used as a means of stopping repeat offenders.

Cephus pleaded guilty to an unrelated assault charge last month and is serving an 18-month sentence.

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