Michael W. Blake seems to have trouble keeping his pants on.
The 59-year-old man with residences in Brooklyn Center and Underwood, Minn., was charged Tuesday in Otter Tail County District Court with indecent exposure for the third time since 1995 after some residents complained that he was fishing naked from his pontoon just 50 feet off their dock and in full view from their picture window.
Blake did not return a phone call seeking comment Friday.
According to a criminal complaint, Sheriff's Deputy Steve Brandner arrived at the scene and with binoculars spied Blake — still nude — fishing on Turtle Lake near another house. When the water patrol caught up with him he donned "a very small pair of shorts" and admitted he had been fishing in the buff, the complaint says.
Blake said he didn't think it was a problem because no one was around, the complaint says. The deputies noted, however, that numerous cabins and homes had full view of the lake, a popular recreation area.
The homeowners who reported Blake said a contractor working on their driveway in June had mentioned seeing a naked man in the tree line, the complaint says. The contractor then told investigators that he'd seen Blake walking around nude over the course of several days. He said Blake approached him — still naked — and asked, "Can you spank me?" The contractor said he drove off but did not report the incident to police.
Blake, who owns a construction firm, now faces three counts of repeat indecent exposure or lewdness, gross misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and $3,000 in fines.
Blake pleaded guilty in December 2016 to one count of gross misdemeanor indecent exposure or lewdness for exposing himself repeatedly to passersby on Big Buck Road in Underwood. A neighbor said he was having difficulty selling his home because of Blake's periodic public nudity. Blake initially denied he was exposing himself to passersby but ultimately admitted to it, claiming that it was his first time.
The criminal complaint notes that Blake was carrying a large paddle when deputies spoke with him, and that he "indicated that he had been spanking himself with the paddle for the purposes of sexual gratification."
Court records show that Blake was first convicted of misdemeanor indecent exposure in 1995. The details of that case were not readily available. He also was convicted in 2016 of possessing an untagged big game animal, a petty misdemeanor.
Dan Browning • 612-673-4493
