Former Michigan football player Larry Harrison returned to Ann Arbor this week to face multiple charges for exposing himself to girls outside their houses near campus.
On Wednesday, Harrison was convicted of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Blaine Longsworth brought the case against Harrison, charging him with exposing himself to multiple women on the 1300 block of Minerva Street on the night of Dec. 6, 2004.
The jury deliberated for about two hours before returning with a guilty verdict. A conviction of misdemeanor indecent exposure can carry a sentence of up to one year in prison. Judge Archie Brown presided over the three-day trial.
Harrison, 21, is not through dealing with the law. Judge Brown scheduled a Monday trial for the felony charge of being a sexually delinquent person, someone who repeatedly commits sexual acts without regard to consequences or the acts’ effect on others. A conviction on the felony charge could carry a sentence of anywhere from one day to life in prison.
In addition to the felony charge, Brown will preside over three pretrial hearings for similar indecent exposure charges on Monday. State law requires the same judge to hear all cases regarding similar charges.
Longsworth will prosecute the felony trial but would not divulge any of the prosecution’s tactics.
“The charge is different, so it is logical that there will be some differences from the misdemeanor case,” Longsworth said. “But beyond that, I won’t speak on the prosecution’s case against Mr. Harrison.”
Longsworth said Harrison’s behavior warranted further prosecution.
Harrison’s defense attorney Anthony Chambers did not return messages requesting a comment yesterday.
All of the charges stem from a series of incidents that took place during fall semester of last year near Central Campus.
Harrison, a Detroit native, transferred to North Carolina A&T State University this fall following his suspension from the Michigan football team in December of last year. He is now enrolled as a student at the Division 1-AA school in Greensboro, N.C., where he played on the football team this past season. He recorded 39 tackles and one sack in 11 games.
The North Carolina A&T Athletic Department has not yet released a statement on the conviction.
“We will have a statement when the whole matter is resolved,” said Wheeler Brown, associate athletic director at North Carolina A&T.
Brown went on to say there have been no discussions regarding Harrison’s status on the football team. North Carolina A&T hired a new football coach last Monday, and Brown did not expect the Harrison matter to be brought up for at least a week.
Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr suspended Harrison indefinitely from the Michigan football team last December following his arraignment on charges of indecent exposure.
“The charges are very serious and very alarming,” Carr said in a statement at the time of the suspension.
“I can only hope they are not true.”
Carr said he would not comment on the case yesterday because Harrison is no longer a student at the University.
– Ian Herbert contributed to this report.