A 65-year-old registered sex offender already out on bond for a felony indecent exposure case is back behind bars after Ocoee police say he exposed himself to drivers outside a Popeyes restaurant. Michael Scott Knight of Orlando was booked into the Orange County Jail on Tuesday on a third-degree felony charge of indecent exposure, according to Orange County Corrections Department records.
According to WKMG, Knight was arrested along West Colonial Drive after police said he exposed himself to drivers outside a Popeyes in Ocoee. He was reportedly heard telling a woman, “I'm about to get naked,” before exposing himself, the station reports. When asked whether he knew what he did was wrong, Knight allegedly replied, “Yes, sir.”
Knight was already out on bond for an April case when the Popeyes arrest happened, and his bond on that pending charge has since been revoked. Under Florida Statute 903.0471, judges have the authority to immediately revoke a defendant's pretrial release and hold them in custody without bond if there is probable cause that they committed a new crime while awaiting trial, and no full evidentiary hearing is required to make that call, according to Optimal Bail Bonds.
A Criminal History Stretching Back Decades
Knight's criminal history dates back to the 1980s, and he was placed on Florida's sex offender registry following a 2002 Volusia County case involving a victim under 16, per the station's report. He has since faced multiple additional indecent exposure allegations in Orange County that never resulted in lasting convictions.
In 2012, Knight was accused of running up to a woman at a Maitland park, but the State Attorney's Office dropped those charges, saying there was not enough evidence to move forward. A decade later, in 2022, he was arrested near a Burger King located about three miles from the Popeyes where this week's incident occurred, accused of exposing himself outside that restaurant. Those charges were also dropped by prosecutors, though the arrest itself remains on his record.
West Colonial Drive, where the latest arrest took place, sits a little more than one mile from Ocoee Elementary School, according to background from Ocoee.org. The corridor functions as the city's primary east-west commercial highway, connecting western Orange County to Orlando through dense clusters of retail businesses and fast-food restaurants that see heavy daily commuter and pedestrian traffic.
How Repeat Exposure Charges Become Felonies
Under Florida Statute 800.03, a first offense of exposing sexual organs in public is a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail. But a second or subsequent conviction elevates the crime to a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Richard Hornsby Law.
Attorney Raymond Traendly, managing partner of TK Law, reviewed Knight's criminal history with News 6 and said serial offenders who are not rehabilitated need additional action. He said the Legislature could impose stricter penalties for these crimes, and suggested the judicial system could take a deeper look at the ultimate cause behind repeat offending.
Prosecutorial oversight for Orange and Osceola counties rests with Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell, who was sworn back into office in January 2025 after winning the November 2024 election following her earlier suspension by Gov. Ron DeSantis. News 6 requested a response from the State Attorney's Office regarding Knight's case, but the office had not provided one as of publication.
Community Concerns and a Statewide Push for Tougher Rules
Local resident Katy Torres told the station, “I don't want to be outside where there is a risk of that happening to me and my family.” Her comment reflects broader unease in the area following a string of unresolved cases tied to the same suspect.
Florida lawmakers have moved to tighten restrictions on registered sex offenders in recent months. Senate Bill 212, effective July 1, expanded rules for offenders whose victims were under 16, banning them from living within 1,000 feet of public swimming pools, splash pads, and public bathing places, and authorizing warrantless arrests for violations, according to the Florida Senate. Registered offenders also carry lifetime reporting obligations under state law, including mandatory in-person check-ins with local sheriff's offices within 48 hours of establishing a new residence.
Knight's case echoes another recent Orange County arrest that Hoodline reported near UCF last month, in which an Orlando man was booked on his seventh indecent exposure offense. A 2010 study from the U.S. Department of Justice found that while overall sexual recidivism rates run lower than general reoffending rates, indecent exposure remains among the most frequent index offenses tied to repeat non-contact sexual behavior.
Knight remains in the Orange County jail as the case moves forward. Whether prosecutors will pursue formal pretrial detention under Florida Statute 907.041, which allows courts to deny bail entirely if a defendant is shown to pose a threat to the community, remains an open question, as does whether this latest charge will hold where the 2012 and 2022 cases did not.
