A man who groped, then exposed himself to several Lindenwood students pleaded guilty to the charges Monday and was given a suspended sentence.
Gary Halter, 22, entered guilty pleas to eight misdemeanors — five counts of first-degree sexual misconduct and three counts of second-degree sexual misconduct.
Photo taken from stltoday.com
Prosecutors said Halter had approached several female students on campus in the spring of 2015, grabbed their buttocks and then pulled down his shorts, exposing his genitals, before running away. In some cases, he asked the woman if she wanted to have sex with him.
Halter of Dardenne Prairie was not a student at the university.
The charges include two similar incidents that happened that spring outside of a Gold’s Gym in St. Charles County, where prosecutors said he masturbated in front of two female victims.
Halter’s attorney, Todd Ryan, said Halter did not wish to make a comment, but said, “I can tell you he’s come a long way from where he was last year.”
In handing down the sentence, Associate Circuit Judge Elizabeth Swann told Halter: “You’re lucky to have a good support system. Take advantage of that and don’t let anything like this ever happen again.”
Halter must complete two years of probation in addition to several special conditions, including participation in sexual offender and psychiatric evaluations and the treatments recommended during those evaluations.
Halter must stay away from Lindenwood and Gold’s Gym, and he must register as a sex offender and comply with the registration’s requirements.
