HAMILTON, Ohio (WXIX) – A Butler County judge sentenced a man accused of stalking a group of Miami University students to 60 days in Jail and five years of community control after the man pleaded no contest to a trespassing charge on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Mark Tersigni was accused of following a girl in Oxford and several of her roommates on several occasions and faced five felony counts of menacing, with a sixth charge of misdemeanor criminal trespassing.<\/p>\n
At the sentencing, the prosecution presented a video showing a primary victim recording Tersigni approaching the Miami University Recreation Center. The girl then met with two of her roommates, and they entered a portion of the rec center that requires a badge to enter.<\/p>\n
The surveillance footage showed Tersigni entering the building, then pretending to wave to someone when he walked by the girls. After the two roommates left, he followed another student through the badge check and walked past the victim.<\/p>\n
The victim ran away and exited the building. The footage showed Tersigni standing by the bench where the victim previously sat. He proceeded to stretch for a few minutes before leaving.<\/p>\n
The next video the prosecuting attorney showed was from later that day when a police officer confronted Tersigni in his car and told him the girls had called the police on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no, I had to go into the rec because I had to get wifi for my computer, so I apologize,\u201d Tersigni told the officer when asked why he was in the rec center. \u201cI definitely am not fo- follow- what did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing a group of females,\u201d the officer reminded him.<\/p>\n
The prosecuting attorney stated that Tersigni did not have a laptop in the video. She then showed Ring Doorbell images of Tersigni walking by the victim\u2019s home on several occasions and one video of him walking in the victim\u2019s yard at night.<\/p>\n
The prosecuting attorney stated that the victims reported seeing him peering in their window on at least one occasion. She said that they had records of him making trips to Oxford at least 70 times in a short span of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tersigni lives in Columbus.<\/p>\n
Tersigni\u2019s attorney said it would be impossible to state that all 70 of those trips were necessarily trips where he engaged in this behavior.<\/p>\n
His attorney stated in court on Wednesday that he was facing mental health and substance abuse problems of unknown origin. The attorney suggested that through mitigation efforts, those reasons might become clear and could then be presented in court at a later date.<\/p>\n
Tersigni himself addressed the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my mind, at the time, I never thought that I was following someone, and now I know that\u2019s not true, and I just am so sorry for what I put the victims through and what I put the family through,\u201d he said. \u201cI will never forgive myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge expressed skepticism that Tersigni\u2019s behavior was the result of a drinking problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is very weird,\u201d the judge said. \u201cThis is very disturbing, and I don\u2019t think you have fully come to grips with your actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prosecuting attorney also stated that Tersigni failed to own up to his actions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand the difficulty of coming clean about something of this nature, but these girls were terrified,\u201d she said. \u201cTerrified because every time they turned around [they wondered], \u2018Is Mark Tersigni going to be right behind them?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to his 60 days in jail and five years of community control, Tersigni was ordered not to enter Oxford or Miami University.<\/p>\n
The judge added that because of comments made during the trial, he was concerned Tersigni might have exhibited similar behavior at Ohio State University and Ohio University.<\/p>\n
There was no protection order filed because the victims did not wish for Tersigni to have any document that might list their address or personal information.<\/p>\n
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