Cleve. State Adv. imitates priest

[hoosier]

October 31, 2002





Wegrzynowski

ELYRIA -- A second man has stepped forward alleging Cleveland State University accountant Joseph Wegrzynowski got him drunk at a fraternity party, climbed into his bed and fondled him, according to a court document filed yesterday by the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office.
The new discovery document was filed less than 24 hours before Wegrzynowski's trial on a charge of sexual battery was scheduled to resume in the courtroom of Common Pleas Judge Mark A. Betleski.

Wegrzynowski faces the felony charge for allegedly touching an 18-year-old CSU student while on a Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity retreat at the Aqua Marine Hotel in Avon Lake in December 2000.

The student claims after a night of drinking he woke up naked in bed with Wegrzynowski, who he was sharing a room with, and Wegrzynowski was touching his penis.

Besides working in the CSU bursar's office for more than 20 years, Wegrzynowski served as faculty adviser to the Sigma Tau house.

The new accusation alleges Wegrzynowski took advantage of a then 18-year-old male in 1986 by providing alcohol to him at a university-sponsored party. The motion then states that without invitation, Wegrzynowski walked into the man's bedroom, climbed into his bed and began to rub the victim's chest.

When the subject jumped out of bed, Wegrzynowski ''grabbed and fondled the victim's genital areas,'' according to the document.

Prosecutors allege in the document that Wegrzynowski was not seen or heard by the victim for months and when they finally did speak again, Wegrzynowski tried to apologize.

The document said similar to the current accusations against Wegrzynowski, the male victim and the defendant were ''friends and had a good relationship between them.''

In the current case, Wegrzynowski's attorney states the touching was consensual.

Should Betleski allow the second alleged victim -- who was not identified in yesterday's filing -- to testify, it could refute a taped telephone conversation already heard by jurors that has Wegrzynowski telling his most recent accuser ''he has never done anything like that before.''

The trial has been hampered by claims from prosecutors and defense attorneys that each side failed to make evidence available to the other.

On Tuesday, defense attorney Michael Lear asked for a mistrial after questioning the criminal background of a witness.

A decision by Betleski on the mistrial request is expected today. Testimony is scheduled to start at 8 a.m.