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Letter to the Editor: Pennsylvania dairy farmers deserve support from lawmakers

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Penn State, Pitt taking different approaches to renewed rivalry

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Wyoming man who exposed himself to a juvenile cashier and a customer at an area supermarket told a judge at his sentencing Tuesday that the undesired exposure was due to wear and tear in his shorts.</p><p>William James Costigan, 31, of Second Street, will serve 18 months in the county&#8217;s Intermediate Punishment Program after he <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/545806/wyoming-man-admits-to-exposing-himself-at-supermarket-employee-customer" target="_blank">exposed his genitals to a customer and a 16-year-old female employee of Gerrity&#8217;s Supermarket in West Pittston last year</a>.</p><p>Neither victim appeared in court Tuesday.</p><p>Marcy Costigan, Costigan&#8217;s step-mother and one of nearly a dozen family members to attend the sentencing, said her step-son was a &#8220;perfect gentleman.&#8221; His father added he &#8220;never showed disrespect to a woman at any time.&#8221; Other family members called him a courteous, hard-worker.</p><p>Prosecutors had a different take.</p><p>&#8220;It sounds like Mr. Costigan is the perfect gentleman, except for when he exposed his penis to a 16-year-old,&#8221; Assistant District Attorney Justin Richards said. &#8220;A teenage girl was exposed to this man&#8217;s genitals while she was at work.&#8221;</p><p>According to the affidavit, the employee was working the service desk at the store on Aug. 6, 2015 when Costigan came to her register wearing a white t-shirt and light shorts, holding a basket in front of his waist area. The employee told investigators Costigan put down the basket and she noticed his zipper was down and he was exposing himself.</p><p>A customer told police that as she was standing in line behind Costigan when he turned and exposed himself to her as well. The victim told police the incident made her feel &#8220;uncomfortable and awkward.&#8221;</p><p>Costigan, a father of four, said he was having a bad day on the date of the incident and told Lupas the condition of his shorts was &#8220;super bad.&#8221;</p><p>His attorney, Vincent J. Cappellini of Kingston, described Costigan as a &#8220;family man&#8221; who was remorseful from the get-go.</p><p>&#8220;The facts are what they are,&#8221; Cappellini said. &#8220;It was a case of bad judgment. Plain bad judgment.&#8221;</p><p>Police identified Costigan through a phone number he provided to the employee because he didn&#8217;t have a store rewards card. He pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent exposure in May.</p><p>Costigan will serve the first three months of his sentence under house arrest and must write a letter of apology to each of the victims, Lupas ordered.</p><p>&#8220;It appears whatever happened here was out of character,&#8221; the judge said.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wyoming man gets house arrest, probation for exposing himself at supermarket