Responding to recent charges leveled against him, Nittany Lion basketball player Stanley Pringle told police he was touching his penis but was not masturbating in the Pattee Library stacks last Thursday.
Pringle told police he has "a bad habit of putting his hand down his pants," and demonstrated for the officer by placing his hand down the front of his sweatpants, according to the complaint.
"Why would I need to masturbate?" he told police. "This is how I chill, ma'am."
Centre County District Judge Jonathan Grine signed a criminal complaint on Friday leveling charges of open lewdness and disorderly conduct against the junior guard. The Penn State police sent the charges to Grine Wednesday, but the complaint remained unsigned until he returned to the office.
The charges stem from an incident last Thursday at Pattee Library where a woman said an unknown man, whom police later identified as Pringle, sat behind her in the stacks section, attempted to start a conversation and then began masturbating.
After being informed of the victim's report during an interview with police, Pringle first denied being at Pattee Library last Thursday, but then remembered he had been there and recalled his conversation with the victim, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, a woman said Pringle sat down on top of a desk behind her and asked if she wanted to purchase some hand lotion he was selling for the basketball team.
Sports Information Director Brian Siegrist declined to comment.
The woman told police that after 15 minutes of conversation with Pringle, she heard the sound of adjusting clothing followed by a "smacking sound, like Pringle's hand was smacking against the skin of his body."
The victim said she did not turn around because she was afraid, adding that she believed this to be the sound of masturbation and could see a reflection of Pringle's hand moving back and forth, according to the criminal complaint.
The woman told police that Pringle then answered his ringing cell phone and proceeded to make "moaning sounds" and "sounded like he was short of breath."
Frightened, the victim said she sent a text message to her friend asking for her to call her so she had an excuse to leave the area, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim told police that after walking through the bookshelves while answering her phone, she saw Pringle rubbing his hands together, "as if he had just put lotion on them," and when she returned to her seat, she said she saw Pringle tying the drawstring on his sweatpants.
A Penn State police supervisor said Sunday that he didn't know if Pringle had been arrested.
Pringle told police he has "a bad habit of putting his hand down his pants," and demonstrated for the officer by placing his hand down the front of his sweatpants, according to the complaint.
"Why would I need to masturbate?" he told police. "This is how I chill, ma'am."
Centre County District Judge Jonathan Grine signed a criminal complaint on Friday leveling charges of open lewdness and disorderly conduct against the junior guard. The Penn State police sent the charges to Grine Wednesday, but the complaint remained unsigned until he returned to the office.
The charges stem from an incident last Thursday at Pattee Library where a woman said an unknown man, whom police later identified as Pringle, sat behind her in the stacks section, attempted to start a conversation and then began masturbating.
After being informed of the victim's report during an interview with police, Pringle first denied being at Pattee Library last Thursday, but then remembered he had been there and recalled his conversation with the victim, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, a woman said Pringle sat down on top of a desk behind her and asked if she wanted to purchase some hand lotion he was selling for the basketball team.
Sports Information Director Brian Siegrist declined to comment.
The woman told police that after 15 minutes of conversation with Pringle, she heard the sound of adjusting clothing followed by a "smacking sound, like Pringle's hand was smacking against the skin of his body."
The victim said she did not turn around because she was afraid, adding that she believed this to be the sound of masturbation and could see a reflection of Pringle's hand moving back and forth, according to the criminal complaint.
The woman told police that Pringle then answered his ringing cell phone and proceeded to make "moaning sounds" and "sounded like he was short of breath."
Frightened, the victim said she sent a text message to her friend asking for her to call her so she had an excuse to leave the area, according to the criminal complaint.
The victim told police that after walking through the bookshelves while answering her phone, she saw Pringle rubbing his hands together, "as if he had just put lotion on them," and when she returned to her seat, she said she saw Pringle tying the drawstring on his sweatpants.
A Penn State police supervisor said Sunday that he didn't know if Pringle had been arrested.
