A man who was arrested for indecent exposure last month will be sentenced Oct. 29, according to Hennepin County reports.
Richard Lee Sanders pleaded guilty Sept. 29 to felony counts of indecent exposure. He was charged Sept. 3 for exposing himself to a woman Aug. 19 outside Wilson Library, according to documents at Hennepin County Criminal Court.
Sanders has been in custody since his arrest, with bail set at $20,000, according to reports.
In a University-wide e-mail sent Aug. 30, the University Police Department requested the help of students, faculty members and staff in locating the suspect. A tip resulting from the e-mail helped police locate and arrest Sanders.
“If we went to the trouble to put out an e-mail alert, then (Sanders) is a character to be very wary of,” said Steve Johnson, deputy police chief for the University Police Department.
“We don’t consider him welcome on campus if he continues to exhibit this kind of behavior,” Johnson said.
Sanders has a history of convictions, including assault, theft, disorderly conduct and multiple charges of indecent exposure, according to reports.
The reports also said the sentence might include a sex offender assessment by Hennepin County.
A state statute requires assessment in a variety of criminal offenses, including first- to fifth-degree sex offenses, said Michael Bailey, a probation officer with the Hennepin County Community Correction Department. An independent professional team conducts the assessment, which may include court psychologists and probation officers, he said.
Hennepin County contracts several private treatment groups, such as Alpha Human Services and Project Pathfinder, for a variety of residential and outpatient treatments, Bailey said. The programs include intensive individual and group counseling and possible referral to physicians for further care, he said.
Some students said they feel that assessment is very necessary in cases like Sanders’.
“Though he might not have anything necessarily wrong with him mentally, counseling should probably help this guy,” first-year student Dan Bettino said.
Many students said they feel that assessment is only one part of the rehabilitation process.
“As long as there’s still jail-time to go with assessment, I think it’s a good idea,” first-year student Kiara Meier said.