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E-mail StoryMan strips on street corner for radio contest, ends up in back of police car
| Monday, May 19 2008 12:28 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 20 2008 7:20 AM
A contestant on a Kelly 95.3 FM morning radio show contest was briefly taken into police custody Monday for disrobing down to his boxers on the corner of Rosedale Highway and Coffee Road.
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C.K. Smith, 23, was competing against a woman to win two tickets to the American Idol finale Wednesday by stripping down on the street corner.
As cars passed by, the contestants urge drivers to honk. For each honk, they would take off a piece of clothing, said Rick Roddam, co-host with Darci Dawn on the Darci and Rick Show. The other person, a woman, was on Stockdale Highway and California Avenue.
The first person to get to his or her undergarments would win the tickets.
“I got down to my underwear, and I figured I won, so I started taking a victory lap,” Smith said.
At that time, a Bakersfield Police officer driving by stepped out of his car and asked Smith what he was doing.
“I said, ‘You’re part of the show, right’?” Smith said. “He said, ‘Get in the back of the car.’”
The officer on scene decided to step in when a driver nearby complained, said Sgt. Greg Terry with the police department. The officer saw Smith taking his clothes off and was worried he might strip down completely, Terry said. If Smith had done so, police would have cited him for indecent exposure.
Meanwhile, Roddam was at the intersection and updated listeners live on the radio until he went to talk to police about the contest. Listeners also called in to give updates.
“I just started begging the cops,” Roddam said. “It’s not his fault. Take me.”
Roddam added: “In 13 years on radio, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
After about 15 minutes in a police car, Smith was let go because no crime was committed, Terry said. No one complained to police about the woman, he said.
Smith did not win the contest — the woman did. However, the radio station is giving Smith tickets for the rest of the year to Kelly Lounge, a concert series put on by the station.
Smith said he participated in the contest just to see if he could win. He is not a fan of television show, nor is he a fan of the station's music.
Smith said he is not upset about the incident, but is upset at himself for thinking he could beat a woman in the contest.