Skinny dippers shed lewdness citations

DIAMOND FORK SPRINGS — The troublesome sign has come down, the clothes are back on and the fate of eight skinny dippers has been settled.

Although the au naturel tubbers were cited for lewdness when they disrobed last fall at the popular springs in Spanish Fork Canyon, the misdemeanor charges have since been dismissed by the Utah County Attorney's Office.

"We looked at the reasonable likelihood of success at trial to be able to convict," said Tim Taylor, chief deputy Utah County Attorney. "We decided it was not a very good case to take to trial."

Problematic at the outset was the existence of a U.S. Forest Service sign that indicated ambivalence over nudity, simply warning that discretion should be exercised should the wardrobes come off.

Long a renowned hotspot for naturalists because of its tucked away location in Spanish Fork Canyon, Diamond Fork Springs morphed into legal trouble for the group of eight, six of whom ironically work for the Forest Service as firefighters.

The group said they were confronted late one October evening by sheriff's deputies checking the area, which is also a popular setting for drunken parties and other criminal complaints.

Despite the sign, citations were issued and landed in the lap of prosecutors.

Aware of the contradictions wrapped up in the mess, Forest Service officials removed the sign.

"We took it down almost immediately after we learned it misrepresented the situation," said Lorraine Januzelli, spokeswoman for the Wasatch-Cache district.

Taylor, too, said the sign could have given the "appearance" that nudity was sanctioned in conflict with local ordinances.

"There was some ambiguity."

Januzelli said the agency has since put a closure order in place prohibiting nudity so it matches the county's law.

"Honestly, we have not heard anything. We have not had complaints from users," Januzelli said. "It remains a tremendously popular place."

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com