A downtown Nashville sidewalk became the scene of an arrest Sunday evening after police say a 42-year-old man exposed himself and urinated while young children watched. The incident also ended with a public-intoxication charge and a $2,000 bond.
According to WSMV, officers found Joseph Falkenstein lying on the sidewalk near Third Avenue South and Molloy Street with his genitalia exposed. The arrest affidavit says he was urinating in front of children, while passersby had to dodge the stream and step over the puddle it created.
The officer who wrote the affidavit described Falkenstein as flushed, unsteady on his feet, slurring his speech and smelling of alcohol. Police booked him into the Downtown Detention Center and charged him with misdemeanor indecent exposure and misdemeanor public intoxication.
The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office lists Falkenstein’s bond at $2,000. A bond amount is a pretrial release condition, not a finding that the allegations have been proven.
Another Recent Nashville Exposure Case Involved Children Nearby
The arrest comes less than three weeks after a separate downtown Nashville case in which police accused a 43-year-old man of exposing himself outside a woman’s window on Academy Place. Hoodline reported that witnesses told officers children lived on the building’s first floor and could potentially have seen the conduct.
There is no indication the two cases are connected. Together, however, they underscore how quickly public-exposure allegations can become a neighborhood concern when the conduct occurs near homes, sidewalks or places where children are present.
What The Charges Mean
Tennessee’s indecent-exposure statute generally classifies the offense as a Class B misdemeanor, while providing enhanced classifications in some circumstances involving children under 13. The current booking lists Falkenstein’s charge as a misdemeanor, and the public account does not identify the children’s ages.
The case remains an allegation at the arrest stage. Any future court filings, plea or trial proceedings could provide additional information about what happened and whether the charges change.
