APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A man who secretly recorded Lawrence University students in bathrooms and dorms was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison.
Benjamine Wears, 23, was previously convicted of nine counts of capturing an intimate representation and two counts of burglary. He was also placed on extended supervision for three years, and probation for another three after that. Wears must also register as a sex offender.
Before the sentence was issued, Wears apologized, and asked for another chance without prison.
“I’m very ashamed at how I have acted these past two years,” and promised Lawrence University he would not go near the campus again. “I realize now just how terrible and disrespectful my actions were, how much I negatively affected the Lawrence community, and how much treatment I will need to get. Your honor, I promise you that I will change my present and future for the better.”
However, Judge Mitchell Metropulos noted there were many warning signs and actions that could have led to intervention before these crimes, and Wears failed to get treatment.
According to the criminal complaint, one witness saw Wears crouched near a door, while another spotted a phone under her door. After a short chase, Wears was arrested.
“He admitted that he secretly recorded individuals in bathroom stalls and attempted to record individuals in their dorm room. Wears stated that he did it for the “excitement” and “thrill of it.” Wears also stated that he had a problem. Wears stated that he has been filming people for a couple of years and that he was kicked out of Notre Dame University in Indiana after being arrested for voyeurism,” the complaint states.
The videos, all of men, were mostly recorded in February and March, 2020, with additional incidents after he posted bond on the first of three criminal files. Wears was not a Lawrence student, the complaint states.
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