A 25-year-old Clarkston man is facing felony charges after witnesses reported seeing him masturbating in a common area of Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, according to police. Dylan Scotten allegedly ran from mall security when confronted, but officers caught up with him in the mall parking lot and took him into custody last Saturday.
Scotten now faces two felony counts: indecent exposure by a sexually delinquent person and aggravated indecent exposure, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. He was arraigned in court, where a judge set his bond at $250,000. That figure reflects the severity of the sexually delinquent designation, which under Michigan Compiled Laws Section 750.335a(2)(c) carries an indeterminate sentence ranging from a single day up to life in prison, according to the Michigan Legislature.
What the Sexually Delinquent Charge Requires
Prosecutors pursuing the sexually delinquent enhancement must establish specific criteria under Michigan Statute MCL 750.10a, which defines a sexually delinquent person as someone whose sexual behavior shows repetitive or compulsive acts, disregard for the rights of others, force in attempting sex relations, or sexual aggression against children under 16, per the Michigan Legislature. It remains unclear from available records what evidence prosecutors presented at arraignment to support applying that designation to Scotten's case, or whether he has a prior record.
The second charge against him, aggravated indecent exposure, applies under MCL 750.335a(2)(b) when an exposure incident involves fondling of the genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or breasts. That offense alone is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000, according to the Michigan Legislature. If convicted of either charge, Scotten would be required to register on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, per Prain Law PLLC.
Unusual Sentencing Latitude for Judges
Because the sexually delinquent charge carries such a wide statutory range, Michigan courts treat it differently than most felonies. In a 2021 ruling in People v. Arnold, the Michigan Supreme Court determined that the crime falls outside the state's standard legislative sentencing guidelines specifically because of its unique one-day-to-life penalty structure, according to the law firm Kershaw, Vititoe & Jedinak, PLC. That precedent gives trial judges unusually broad discretion in deciding a sentence should Scotten be convicted.
A Busy Mall With a Prior Exposure Case
Twelve Oaks Mall is a super-regional shopping center spanning 1.5 million square feet with more than 180 stores and restaurants, drawing over 3.6 million visits a year, according to the Mid-America Real Estate Group. Simon Property Group took over full ownership of the mall in November 2025, assuming management duties from original co-developer Taubman Realty Group, per Wikipedia.
This is not the first indecent exposure case tied to the property. In February 2020, Novi police arrested a repeat sex offender with a criminal history dating back to 1985 after he exposed himself in a dressing room at the mall, according to ClickOnDetroit's earlier coverage. Following his arrest, Scotten would have been processed at the Novi Police Department's 72-hour holding facility, which maintains sight-and-sound separation for male, female, and juvenile detainees, according to the Novi Police Department.
Public records indicate Scotten grew up in Oakland County and competed on the boys' varsity wrestling team at Clarkston High School during the 2016-2017 season, according to Clarkston Athletics. Beyond the felony charges and bond amount, no additional details about the specific evidence behind the sexually delinquent designation have been made public.
