Student confronts man masturbating in library

Bruce Semple chose the wrong student to sit next to in the library.

On April 21, junior Gianna Limone saw Semple, 37, exposing himself and masturbating in the library cubicle next to her, and reported the incident to Public Safety. Semple was arrested and charged with trespassing and lewdness by Madison police on Tuesday, when he returned once again to the library and was spotted by Limone and a friend, junior Jon Chu.

"Between 3:30 and 4:30 [p.m. on April 21] we received a report from a student [Limone] that while she was studying in one of the cubicles on the first floor, in the back, the man in the adjoining cubicle was masturbating," Chief of Public Safety Tom Evans said.

Limone, a commuter student, was studying when Semple approached her and asked to sit in the cubicle next to hers.

"He asked if he could sit next to me and I thought it was weird because the whole place was open," Limone said. "He was sitting for a while and reading, and I noticed that he had started to touch himself. After a while, he was completely exposed."

Shocked by the situation, Limone alerted friends of the situation.

"I instant messaged my friend on the computer and she told me I should leave, and then Jon came over and I asked him if we could go to another seat and when he [Jon] came, the guy left too," Limone said.

Although Chu wasn't aware of the situation, he knew it had something to do with Semple.

"I had seen the guy earlier in the library. He was laying between the stacks on the second floor, so I knew when she wanted to move, it had something to do with him," Chu said.

Encouraged by her aunt and uncle to report what happened, Limone decided to meet with Evans.

"My uncle was the one who actually called Public Safety for me, and I had a meeting with Chief Evans," Limone said.

Limone's report of the incident prompted an investigation, and Evans decided to place Public Safety officers in civilian clothes in the library.

"I shared this plan with the student and she agreed ... the following Tuesday, the man was back in the library," Evans said.

Limone and Chu were both in the library on Tuesday when Semple returned, however there were no Public Safety officers present that day. Limone confronted Semple, preventing him from leaving the library until Public Safety arrived.

"When I saw him again, this fear came over me, but something just wouldn't let me let him leave," Limone said.

According to Evans' report, Limone said to Semple, "You're not going anywhere!" and, "You chose the wrong girl to mess with."

Library Administrator for Human Resources and Finance Debbie Strong said there were three librarians standing in front of the security gates so Semple wouldn't be able to leave. Within minutes of receiving the phone call, Investigator Carol P. Simmons arrived at the library and apprehended Semple.

During his questioning with Evans, Semple said he was an employee at Madison Veterinary Hospital and that he was on campus -- jogging.

"The man had no ID on him. He said he was 37 years old and lived in Monmouth County," Evans said. "When I asked him if he was here last Wednesday exposing himself in the library, he said 'yes' and asked if we could make a deal. I said, 'No deal.' Then I picked up the phone and called the Madison police."

Limone's reaction to Semple's request was anger and shock.

"I was so mad and I couldn't believe he asked for that. When he was facing me in the library, he was staring at me so hard and he had no remorse. I would have been really upset if Public Safety had agreed to make some sort of deal with him," Limone said.

According to Captain John Treveno of the Madison police Department, if convicted, Semple could face up to 6 months in county jail.

Public Safety Administrative Assistant Amy Sugerman confirmed that Drew would be pursuing the trespassing charges and monitoring what happens legally in this case. Sugerman added that if Semple were ever to return to the campus, he would be charged with trespassing and turned over to Madison police.

Director of the Library Andrew Scrimgeour sees the incident as a "violation of the sanctity of the library. You don't think of the library as a place where you view such abhorrent behavior," Scrimgeour said. He believes that some of the attraction of the library for such "perverse behavior" may be the layout.

"There are a lot of out-of-the-way places to study, and that's one of the greatest things about our building. But it is those same places that give some people a place to act out their offensive behavior," Scrimgeour said.

Limone and Chu agreed, saying, "You don't prepare yourself for something like this in a library setting."

Under the circumstance, Evans felt both students handled themselves well.

"I'm so proud of them and the way the reacted. I want to stress how strong these students were. This is a perfect example of how students and Public Safety can work together to keep this campus safe," Evans said.

Semple was released from custody Tuesday, and as of Wednesday, had not yet been assigned a court date.