Serial flasher: 'I am not a danger to the public'

Christopher Vincent Sumrell, 27, has been charged with indecent exposure at least nine times since 2011 and has been jailed six times, according to court records.

He was charged again in February with exposing himself at Hot Worx, a hot yoga and pilates studio in the Glenwood South neighborhood. The woman who reported him to police noted that a security camera also captured footage of him masturbating in the sauna.

The charge was dismissed because of a paperwork error, but prosecutors plan to refile the charge and wanted to keep him behind bars until they do.

Sumrell, who is currently in jail for violating his probation, dismissed his defense attorney and argued on his own behalf for his release.

"I would like for my bond to be unsecured so I can handle this outside of court because there is nothing to be held on," he said. "I am not a danger to the public. I have never put my hands on anyone, never hurt anyone physically."

The woman in the February incident said she was so emotionally traumatized that she had to quit her job at Hot Worx.

"My heart rate, based on my heart monitor, would rise slightly right before going to work, and it would really shoot up about a half hour before closing, when I knew I had to go outside into the dark," she said.

District Court Judge Margaret Eagles eventually continued Sumrell's case until next week and sent him back to jail, saying he was a danger to the public.

Even if he is recharged and convicted, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said he will likely be released on time served. The maximum penalty for indecent exposure is four months, regardless of how many times someone has been convicted.