Neighbors in a downtown Nashville apartment complex say their quiet night was interrupted Wednesday when a 43-year-old man allegedly put on a lewd display right outside a woman’s window. The woman told police she spotted him at her window, quickly shut the blinds, then alerted others in the building. Bystanders later pointed out the suspect to arriving officers, who took him into custody. He was booked into the county detention center and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning.
What police say
According to an arrest affidavit referenced by WSMV, the woman reported seeing Kenneth Bernard Lee standing in her window on Academy Place while exposing and touching his genitals. Multiple neighbors told officers they witnessed the same behavior. The affidavit states that officers also saw Lee remove his pants and expose himself in the building’s courtyard. It notes that children live on the building’s first floor and “could have potentially seen the defendant exposing himself.”
Arrest and court records
Court and jail records show Lee was booked July 15 into the Downtown Detention Center and is listed in the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk system as the defendant in case GS1119512, charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure and held on a $10,000 bond, per Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk. The sheriff’s public booking roster lists Lee, 43, admitted July 15 with control number 340449, consistent with the court file. A judge's review in the case is set for July 16 at 9:45 a.m., according to court records.
Neighbors' concerns
Residents told investigators they were shaken by what they saw and worried that children on the lower floor might have been exposed to the conduct. Those accounts, along with the affidavit’s description of the incident, are summarized in reporting by WSMV. Police say the case remains under review as the charges move through the court system.
Legal context
Indecent exposure in Tennessee is defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-511, which makes it a crime to intentionally expose one’s genitals in a public place or on private property where the person reasonably expects to be seen. The statute allows for more serious consequences if a child is involved, according to the text of the law. Specific penalties and any registration requirements depend on the circumstances of the case and any prior convictions, as outlined in the state code.
Future hearings and filings will appear in updates from the Criminal Court Clerk and the sheriff’s booking roster. Anyone with information related to the incident can contact the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department non-emergency line at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463, per Nashville.gov and Nashville.gov.
