Penn State news by
Penn State's student blog

Topics

More

Man Arrested For Allegedly Video Recording Penn State Student In HUB Bathroom

Penn State police arrested a 52-year-old man who allegedly video recorded a male university student without his consent last week in a HUB bathroom.

Mark A. Williams is also accused of assaulting the student after being confronted about the incident.

According to a criminal complaint, the student reported that at about 5 p.m. on Thursday, he was using a bathroom stall on the ground floor of the HUB when he noticed the man in the adjacent stall “had his cell phone positioned, with the front facing camera forward, in a manner consistent with someone attempting to capture video of the victim’s genitalia.”

The student left the bathroom and waited outside for the man to exit. After about 20 to 30 minutes, the student went back into the bathroom and into the same stall. Upon sitting down on the toilet, he again saw the cell phone, which was on with a red recording light illuminated, and could see his body displayed on the screen, he told police.

When the student left the bathroom to call police, Williams attempted to leave the area, according to the complaint. That led to a confrontation on the sidewalk outside the building, police wrote, in which Williams struck the student in the face, knocking his cell phone and glasses to the ground, after the student captured him on video.

Campus surveillance video then tracked Williams running from the area, past the White Building and south on Shortlidge Road.

A witness approached officers on the scene and identified the alleged assailant as Williams, producing a Megan’s Law notice with photos of a man that were consistent with video of the man recorded by the student, according to the complaint. Police further identified Williams as a homeless resident of Centre County and photographs on his public Facebook page allegedly were consistent with the appearance and manner of dress of the man recorded by the student and university surveillance cameras.

Photographs posted to his Facebook page also documented Williams’ presence on the University Park campus and in the HUB specifically, police wrote.

University police issued a Timely Warning to the campus community when the incident was reported on Thursday.

Williams was charged on Friday with two second-degree misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy, one second-degree misdemeanor count of simple assault, and a summary count of harassment.

He was arraigned by District Judge Don Hahn and was unable to post $15,000 straight bail. He is detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Geoff Rushton (StateCollege.com)

Geoff Rushton is managing editor for StateCollege.com. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter at @geoffrushton.

State College Goodwill Sells Rare Lego Piece For Over $18,000

While it took some time for Goodwill experts to know what they had on their hands, initial offers for the peice came in at $30,000.

New Defensive Coordinator Tom Allen Brings Key Wrinkles To Penn State Football’s Defense

“We try to keep things simple so we can play fast.”

Women’s History Month: Five Influential Penn State Alumnae

To celebrate Women’s History Month, learn more about five influential Penn State Alumnae.

Follow on Another Platform
113kFollowers
164kFollowers
59.4kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Other posts by Geoff

Man Pleads Guilty In Connection With Crash That Killed Penn State Student

Ahmed Alqubaisi pleaded guilty to one felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury for the the September 12 crash that killed a 25-year-old Penn State graduate student.

Penn State Professor Facing More Charges For Lewd Acts, Indecent Exposure In State Forest

Condo Hotel & Commercial Building Proposed For Downtown State College