(Photos © J. Maus)
According to The Columbian newspaper, Matthew Vilhauer’s naked biking case has finally come to a close. Vilhauer was arrested for indecent exposure after biking naked during a Pedalpalooza ride in Vancouver in June 2009. Last month, a deadlocked jury left the case unresolved.
before he was arrested.
Today, instead of extending the saga into another trial, Vilhauer agreed to plea to a lesser infraction in order to end the case. He pled guilty to agreed to accept a citation for not wearing a helmet, an infraction that carries a $50 fine. It’s interesting to note that Vilhauer was actually wearing a helmet, but apparently in the legal system, this type of plea deal is common.
Here’s more from The Columbian:
“Court-appointed defense attorney Luka Vitasovic said Tuesday that Vilhauer has accepted the city’s offer of a civil infraction.
While a helmet and shoes were the few things Vilhauer did have on, Vitasovic said it’s common practice to let someone take a lesser offense even if it doesn’t square with the facts.
“There isn’t really a ticket that covers what he was doing,” Vitasovic said. And the infraction of cycling without a helmet was one of the cheapest infractions Vitasovic could find.
Vitasovic said Vilhauer knew he’d have a decent shot at being acquitted if the city took the case to trial again, but was ready to end the case and move on.”
Read the full story at Columbian.com.