Newport
Thomas Mauzy, a guidance counselor at Newport High School who was placed on leave when the charges were filed earlier this year, had argued that he did nothing more than get dressed for work in his bedroom each morning. His attorney said he has already filed an appeal.
Mauzy was found guilty Tuesday by Judge Bruce Cardello after the one-day trial.
Mauzy received a 12-month suspended sentence at the Sullivan County House of Corrections on the condition of good behavior and was ordered to participate in a psychological evaluation by Aug. 24 and comply with the recommendations of the evaluation within a month.
Mauzy did not testify at trial. His Keene-based attorney, Richard Guerriero Jr., said on Wednesday they have “appealed immediately because we believe a jury of citizens will see this case differently than the district court judge, with all due respect to the judge.
“As we said in court, Mr. Mauzy made a stupid mistake in not realizing he was visible in his bedroom. He never left his own home, never approached the complaining witness and never communicated with her or gestured to her in anyway. He was completely cooperative with the police and moved out of the apartment building as soon as possible to avoid any further conflict. … We believe a jury will find that Mr. Mauzy is innocent and that he did not deliberately expose himself to anyone. We look forward to that day in court.”
With the conviction, the state Department of Education will review the case and decide on whether to revoke Mauzy’s certification, SAU 43 Superintendent Cindy Gallagher told the Eagle Times. Gallagher has declined to discuss the case or Mauzy’s employment status because it is a personnel matter.
According to court documents, Mauzy’s accuser, Viva Hilgerson, a neighbor at the apartment complex on Maple Street where they both lived, said on separate occasions Mauzy was undressed from the waist down or completely naked and standing in front of his window, exposing himself to her when she left for work about 6:45 in the morning. Hilgerson’s parking space at the Maple Street address was only 25 to 30 feet from Mauzy’s apartment window. The incidents occured about the same time each day on Dec. 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 and 18, court records state. Hilgerson testified at the trial, as did her co-worker, Charles Ferrell, who witnessed Mauzy’s behavior on one occasion when he gave Hilgerson a ride to work.
“I was angry, I felt violated,” Hilgerson said at the trial, according to the Eagle Times. “I was overwhelmed by the situation altogether. I was hoping it would stop.”
Hilgerson, who used a cellphone once to record Mauzy standing before his bedroom without clothes on, reported him to Sunapee police. Mauzy had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In making his ruling on Tuesday, Judge Cardello said Mauzy’s behavior “caused an affront and alarm to the victim,” the Eagle Times reported. Mauzy no longer lives in Sunapee.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
