A Montgomery County judge rules that the act of mooning is not illegal in Maryland, clearing a man accused of indecent exposure after showing his buttocks to a neighbor during an argument.

Judge John W. Debelius III says the defendant, 44-year-old Raymond Hugh McNealy, committed a "disgusting" and "demeaning" act when he allegedly exposed himself to his neighbor and her 8-year-old daughter June 7.

But the judge overturned an earlier decision by a District Court judge against McNealy, saying, "If exposure of half of the buttock constituted indecent exposure, any woman wearing a thong at the beach at Ocean City would be guilty."

Montgomery District Court Judge Eugene Wolfe ruled against McNealy on the indecent exposure claim, a charge that is punishable by up to three years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

McNealy appealed, saying state law only covers display of a person's "private parts," which does not include the buttocks.