Driver is arrested over car art
An Indianapolis woman was arrested and her boyfriend's vintage Buick impounded because an image of a naked exotic dancer painted on it was visible to children.
The car's owner said Friday the image is art. Police say it is obscene.
Erica Meredith, 25, was charged Thursday with disseminating matter harmful to minors, a Class D felony, after police saw the painting when she was stopped for driving the 1976 Buick with a broken taillight.
In his report, the arresting officer wrote that the painting on the flat part of the trunk, "applying contemporary standards, displays a theme which appeals to the prurient interest of sex."
The painting shows a naked woman hanging on to a pole as two men, one smoking a cigar, watch from the audience. Her breasts and pubic area are visible.
Meredith said she was returning home with her children about 5 p.m. Thursday, when she was stopped by police in front of her home in the 4100 block of North Grand Avenue.
"He pulled me over for a taillight," she said. "Then he noticed there was a naked woman on the back of the car."
She said the officer consulted with his supervisor and then arrested her.
"The officer asked me if that was me. 'Is that your profession?' " said Meredith, who is a customer service representative for a Castleton business.
Police said the woman's children and children who attend Indianapolis Public School 83 could possibly see the mural. The woman lives near the school.
She also was charged with driving with a suspended license and exhibition of obscene material, both misdemeanors. She was taken to the Arrestee Processing Center and released early Friday morning without having to pay bond.
Article from the Indy Star
An Indianapolis woman was arrested and her boyfriend's vintage Buick impounded because an image of a naked exotic dancer painted on it was visible to children.
The car's owner said Friday the image is art. Police say it is obscene.
Erica Meredith, 25, was charged Thursday with disseminating matter harmful to minors, a Class D felony, after police saw the painting when she was stopped for driving the 1976 Buick with a broken taillight.
In his report, the arresting officer wrote that the painting on the flat part of the trunk, "applying contemporary standards, displays a theme which appeals to the prurient interest of sex."
The painting shows a naked woman hanging on to a pole as two men, one smoking a cigar, watch from the audience. Her breasts and pubic area are visible.
Meredith said she was returning home with her children about 5 p.m. Thursday, when she was stopped by police in front of her home in the 4100 block of North Grand Avenue.
"He pulled me over for a taillight," she said. "Then he noticed there was a naked woman on the back of the car."
She said the officer consulted with his supervisor and then arrested her.
"The officer asked me if that was me. 'Is that your profession?' " said Meredith, who is a customer service representative for a Castleton business.
Police said the woman's children and children who attend Indianapolis Public School 83 could possibly see the mural. The woman lives near the school.
She also was charged with driving with a suspended license and exhibition of obscene material, both misdemeanors. She was taken to the Arrestee Processing Center and released early Friday morning without having to pay bond.
Article from the Indy Star