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The lure of a free sandwich that prompted three Maine residents to jump naked into a lake might end up costing the trio hundreds of dollars in fines.

Crystal Stilwell, 25, of Bath, Maine; Bernard Beckwith, 31, of Poland, Maine; and Christian Simpson, 37, of Bethel have pleaded not guilty to indecent conduct and will reappear in court on Nov. 3. The three friends were charged with indecent conduct after they jumped nude into Moosehead Lake in August. The trio stripped and performed their brief skinny dip in order to earn a Skinny Dip Sandwich offering at the Black Frog Restaurant in Greenville, Maine, about 40 miles northwest of Bangor. The menu item claimed the sandwich, sliced prime rib in a baguette roll, is free to anyone who runs naked down the ramp and jumps into Moosehead Lake. Their waitress told the patrons that about 12 people had taken the naked plunge the night before and others had done it before them.

When the trio decided to take the nudist dip to earn the free food, Stilwell said their waitress told them to wait until she had canvassed the customers in the restaurant to make sure no one would be offended. When no one objected, the trio stripped next to the Tiki Bar, which is a barge attached to the main restaurant by a walkway and a ramp, ran the short distance and jumped into the water.

"We were naked and exposed ourselves for a matter of two minutes," Beckwith, a builder, told Maine news media after a court session. A friend took a video of the plunge, he said. After the three jumped in they wrapped themselves in towels provided by the restaurant.

Simpson stated he didn't understand why he and his friends were charged when nobody in the restaurant objected. In fact, he said, Stilwell got a standing ovation from the approximately 40 people who witnessed the plunge.

"As far as I'm concerned, we did nothing wrong," Simpson said.

While no one at the restaurant objected, a family that had been standing on the boardwalk nearby was offended and contacted police. The naked plunge also was observed by a local game warden who was refueling his boat.

When police arrived, the customers in the restaurant cleaned out their pockets and donated a total of $175 to help the trio pay their fines, Simpson said. Stilwell said she was mortified by the charge.

"I'm such a squeaky-clean person but if that's the only thing I have on my record, I'm OK with that," Stilwell said. "I'm morally sound."

If found guilty, each could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, but county court officials told the media that the punishment for such a misdemeanor would not involve jail time and that the fine likely would range from $300 to $500 each.