October 03, 2004
Naked Photographer Sentenced
For nearly two years, he stripped naked to snap pictures of more than 40 unsuspecting women, and now Stephen Linnen knows his fate.
The former legal counsel to the Speaker of the Ohio House was finally caught last November when his final victim wrestled with him and he dropped his trademark sunglasses, ski hat and camera.
When Linnen pleaded guilty two weeks ago, there was an agreement that he would get an 18 month sentence, but the question was, would he then have to register as a sex offender?
In court on Monday, a pile of pictures was to be the prosecutor's smoking gun.
There were seven packets of pictures, all apparently taken by Linnen in his apartment, although he is not in the pictures.
They portray naked men and women, some of whom are engaged in sexual acts.
"I realize why I am here today. I realize that my pattern of conduct was reprehensible, it was wrong," says Linnen.
Defense attorney William Meeks says, "Bluntly, this is what I would call pretty much garden variety adult pornography."
Judge Tommy Thompson agreed, and ruled that Linnen will not be labeled as a sex offender.
The 33-year-old lawyer said since he was caught clad only in sunglasses and a ski cap 10 months ago, he has been mending his ways.
(sedate Stephen Linnen WBNS TV Columbus OH)
Linnen says, "I'm very heavily involved with 12-step recovery programs and also with a considerable amount of psychotherapy to try to address the underlying causes of my addictive patterns."
Linnen will likely be able to continue his treatment because the judge sentenced him to 18 months work-release. As long as he has a job, he will spend only his nights behind bars.
Linnen has rented an office in downtown Columbus to do out-of-court legal work.
His plea two weeks ago was to 53 misdemeanor counts, and no felony charges. Sex offender registration is usually restricted to felons.
url (WBNS-tv) via news of the weird
~Isn't it odd for the judge to agree that photographs of starled women faced with a man dressed in nothing but a ski-cap, sunglasses and a camera were "garden variety adult pornography"?
I didn't know there was 'flasher porn'. I didn't think many flashers made porn. (...it takes two hands to work a camera). Maybe its an Ohio specialty?
Mr. Linnen's a lucky Republican not to be labeled a sexual offender. This shows you, even with sexual predation, how arbitrary the law can be.
Posted by Cieciel at October 3, 2004 09:16 AM