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Cyclist arrested while training for naked bike race, police say

By Vincent Tuss, Star Tribune

Last update: July 20, 2009 - 10:39 AM

A Minneapolis man who was cited Thursday for indecent exposure told officers that he was training for a naked bicycle race, police said.

Johann Scott Scrimshire, 42, was arrested about 6 a.m. near Calhoun Parkway after a 911 call about a man on a bicycle exposing himself to walkers and joggers.

The officers who responded said Scrimshire told them he was training for a bike race on the West Coast in which participants ride nude, said Sgt. William Palmer, a Minneapolis police spokesman.

The officers said Scrimshire was wearing a skirt-like garment or a pair of shorts with the crotch area removed, Palmer said.

"It clearly looked intentional," he said.

Scrimshire posted $50 cash bail at the Hennepin County jail on Thursday and was released at about 11 a.m., according to jail records. He is scheduled to appear in Hennepin County District Court on July 30.

Reached by phone Thursday night, Scrimshire said, "The charges are ridiculous, and the facts will come out in court."

Scrimshire is an attorney. A search of Minnesota records for disciplined lawyers found no record that Scrimshire has ever been publicly disciplined.

Palmer said police had received a similar report in the area 10 days earlier but they were not sure it was related to this case.

"If you go to a park, you shouldn't expect to be faced with this kind of behavior," Palmer said.

Vince Tuss • 612-673-7692

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