A man has pleaded guilty and been convicted of indecent exposure after an incident in Gannon University’s Nash Library on Dec. 12, 2014.
Willie E. Caldwell, 51, of Jamestown N.Y., was also banned from all Gannon buildings at his sentencing on Jan. 19 after masturbating in front of a female student between an aisle of books in the library, located at West Sixth and Sassafras streets.
According to court documents, during his arrest, Gannon University Police Officer Patrick Smith questioned Caldwell as he was exiting the library, after the desk worker filed a complaint stating that an unknown male had been harassing a female student.
When asked, the victim explained that Caldwell had sat next to her on a stool and was staring at her while masturbating in a way that his genitals could be seen.
Jason Fox, a business major at Gannon, said that hearing about the incident made him uncomfortable.
“It’s sad that individuals like that can jeopardize the safety of students in such an academic environment,” he said.
For the safety of the community, during sentencing Assistant District Attorney Brandon Bingle requested conditions for Caldwell’s parole and asked that he be banned from the university grounds indefinitely.
Caldwell’s guilty plea resulted in a sentencing of six to 23 months in the Erie County Prison on top of being banned. Based on Caldwell’s prior record, both the judge and Bingle agreed to the plea.
Bingle said that, “guidelines are set for prior offenses and because of Mr. Caldwell’s prior record, his sentencing was within the correct matrix for the crime.”
Although Caldwell petitioned for a third-degree misdemeanor that imposed up to one year of incarceration and no more than $2,500 in fines, he eventually accepted a second-degree misdemeanor, which includes up to two years of incarceration and no more than $5,000 in fines.
Caldwell will begin serving his sentence in the Erie County Prison and will finish out his parole and probation in New York state.

AMANDA GALLANT
[email protected]