Oregon Man Clashes with Police Over Public Nudity Laws After Naked Stranger Appears on His Property

Thomas Collins filmed his heated confrontation with a Bend, Oregon police officer after a naked stranger allegedly walked onto his property in front of his two-year-old son

Thomas Collins, a father from Bend, Oregon, engaged in a heated argument with a police officer after a naked stranger allegedly walked onto his property in front of his two-year-old son. Collins recorded the confrontation with Officer Jeremy Avery of the Bend Police Department, and the video has garnered over 800,000 views since being posted on June 4.

In the video, Collins demands clarification from Officer Avery: "You're saying in the state of Oregon, someone can walk up to your two-year-old kid completely bare naked and that's not a crime, even if it's on your property?"

Collins said he was forced to run over to his son and '(cover) his eyes so he wouldn't see'

Officer Avery responds, "Correct. Well - so, it's trespassing, but what I'm saying is there's no laws against the actual nudity portion of it." Avery further explains that public nudity is legal in Oregon as long as it is not for sexual gratification.

Visibly frustrated, Collins steps into frame and explains, "On private property - this is where I live, and someone just came and exposed themselves to my two-year-old boy, and this officer's saying that it's not a crime." He recounts how he ran to cover his son's eyes and called 911, only to be told that the act was not a crime.

Despite Collins' fury, public nudity is broadly legal under Oregon state law, which takes precedence in the city of Bend

Collins expresses his disbelief and anger, stating, "At what point did this become a normal and acceptable thing to do? The cops will literally do nothing about it. They're basically saying we have to wait for that person to do something more serious to your kid before we can intervene."

Public nudity laws in Oregon allow for such behavior unless it involves sexual conduct. In Portland, for example, city code prohibits exposing genitalia in public places accessible to the opposite sex, although the city hosts an annual nude bike ride. In Eugene, a similar law is in place for individuals aged eight and older. However, Bend has no specific ordinance against public nudity, meaning state law prevails.

Officer Jeremy Avery conceded that trespassing was a crime, although public nakedness was not

Officer Avery explained that under Oregon state law, public indecency requires sexual intent. To violate the law, a person must engage in sexual intercourse, masturbation, or expose their genitalia with the intent of arousing sexual desire.

Some viewers of the video pointed out that Officer Avery was merely enforcing the law as written. One user commented, "Brother calling him worthless but the dude can’t just falsely arrest a person." Others encouraged Collins to familiarize himself with local laws and lobby for legislative changes.

This is not the first time Collins has gained attention. Last year, he posted a viral video arguing that skyrocketing prices could not be solely attributed to inflation, claiming that the cost of products like bulk lentils, flour, and butter had increased by over 50 percent within a year.