LSA senior Andrew Eastman, president of the University Residence Halls Association, is facing criminal charges after he was arrested for indecent exposure on Jan. 13 in West Quad.
Eastman, who waived his right to a jury trial Tuesday, is scheduled for a bench trial on Feb. 22 at 9:30 a.m. at the Washtenaw County Courthouse before a judge who will hear the case and administer a sentence.
Eastman, who declined to comment for this article, issued a public apology during an RHA meeting at Alice Lloyd Hall last night.
He said that as the RHA president, he is held to a higher standard of conduct than most.
However, he denied the charges being brought against him.
“These charges are false, and I plan on fighting them,” he said.
If convicted, Eastman could receive a 3-year probation sentence or even jail time. He could also be fined up to $1,000 and forced to submit a DNA sample.
Steve Hiller, the deputy chief assistant prosecutor for Washtenaw County, said the sentencing depends on many factors.
“It depends entirely on what happened in this particular case, what kind of criminal history, how egregious was the case, what’s said at the trial,” he said.
Although the incident allegedly took place in West Quad, many residents there hadn’t heard anything about Eastman’s arrest.
At the same meeting, Timothy Bekkers, RHA’s vice president of finance, had some news of his own. He submitted his resignation soon after Eastman gave his apology.
“I am just not strong enough to continue in this organization,” Bekkers said.
Bekkers declined comment after the meeting.
Jerry Ilar, RHA’s vice president of public relations, said during the meeting that the organization will continue its work for campus residents and will try to recover from Eastman’s arrest and Bekker’s resignation.
“We’re just going to take it day by day,” Ilar said.