It is that time of year again when the Phoenix Open rolls into town, giving spectators the chance to experience all the excitement of the PGA tour. This leg of the tour is affectionately referred to as “The Greatest Show on Grass” due to the less than traditional atmosphere for a golfing tournament. Many regard the Phoenix Open as the best part of the PGA, with fun-filled events and entertainment from world-renowned performance artists taking place throughout the week.
The party atmosphere at the Phoenix Open is encouraged, so long as attendees remember to behave in a respectful and law-abiding manner. Each year the event organizers provide a code of conduct, outlining how spectators are expected to behave while visiting the event site. The security team at the Phoenix Open is incredibly proactive when it comes to policing the behavior of attendees and will not hesitate to contact law enforcement officers if there is a perception that a spectator is behaving in a way that violates the law.
There are two particular charges that are often associated with events like the Phoenix Open that many people do not take seriously enough until it is too late – Urinating in Public and Disorderly Conduct.
Urinating in Public (UIP)
Urinating in an area which is considered public is a criminal offense in the state of Arizona. However, there are other charges associated with urinating in public that could result in additional charges, including indecent exposure and criminal nuisance. Worse still, if the person witnessing the act is below the age of 15, indecent exposure is treated as a felony rather than a misdemeanor.
The potential penalties for urinating in public are extremely serious. While fines and jail time are your immediate concerns, the impact on your ability to secure work in the future is something you should not take lightly. The court may not take all the circumstances of the incident into account when deciding your fate, which is why it is important to ensure you are represented by an experienced defense attorney like Matthew Lopez.
Disorderly Conduct
In order to understand how Arizona disorderly conduct laws apply to the Phoenix Open, you need only look at the broad application of the laws. There are a number of scenarios that a law enforcement officer and the courts may consider as disorderly conduct. Examples include fighting, excessive noise, using abusive or inflammatory language, causing a disruption in a business, or failing to comply with the requests of law enforcement or other emergency service officials.
The Phoenix Open is an environment where your behavior may meet some or all of those conditions, creating the potential for multiple charges being filed against you for a single incident. As the safety of spectators, golfers, and performers attending the event is of paramount importance to event organizers, even a perceived act of disorderly conduct can result in the police being called to the scene. For those caught up in the incident, facing charges of disorderly conduct is not uncommon. Something that you say or do in the heat of the moment can come back to haunt you and the next thing you know, you are facing fines and jail time and your future reputation has been placed in serious jeopardy.
Do I Need an Attorney?
The first mistake that most people make when arrested for what they perceive as a minor offense is failing to consult with a defense attorney. It is important to remember that at the point of your arrest, all the elements of a potential case against you have not yet been gathered. How you are treated by the court will largely depend on the final charges and the presiding judge on that particular day.
Do not rely on the past experiences of friends or family when it comes to criminal charges. You are taking a gamble with your future and there are no do-overs once you have a conviction on your record. Reach out to Matthew Lopez for professional and experienced representation today.