An Ark City man whose nude walks through his neighborhood helped prompt Cowley County to adopt a new public nudity law last year has become the first person arrested under it. Sean Barnard, 46, was arrested around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday after Cowley County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 33000 block of 61st Road for a report of a person walking nude in the area. Barnard was booked into the Cowley County Jail on suspicion of lewd and lascivious behavior and violating the county resolution prohibiting public nudity. Both are misdemeanor offenses. The arrest occurred in the IXL neighborhood south of Ark City – the same area where complaints about Barnard taking naked walks ultimately led county commissioners to enact the public nudity prohibition in May 2025.
Read more: Local Archives – Cowley Post
