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UCA Ex-Administrator Gets 3-Year Prison Sentence

2 min read

CLINTON – A former University of Central Arkansas administrator will remain free on bond while he appeals his conviction on charges alleging he gave a student master keys so that the student could steal tests from professors’ offices.

A Van Buren County jury on Wednesday convicted former UCA chief of staff Jack Gillean on six counts of commercial burglary and sentenced him to three years in prison, 10 years of probation and a $35,000 fine. Circuit Judge Charles Clawson Jr. ruled that Gillean can remain free on his $17,500 bond pending an appeal.

“The community has spoken and said they’re not going to stand for this type of action,” Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tony Braswell said afterward.

Gillean and his defense attorney, Tim Dudley, declined to comment after Wednesday’s proceedings. The Log Cabin Democrat reported that Gillean has 30 days to file an appeal of the judgment.

Prosecutors say Gillean gave UCA student Cameron Stark master keys in 2011 and 2012 to steal tests. Stark was granted immunity from prosecutors in exchange for his cooperation. Stark testified that Gillean accompanied him on one occasion and stood watch outside the door as Stark went into a professor’s office and printed out a test from the professor’s computer, which had been left on.

“I was in shock. … I had an extremely difficult test coming up. I was in shock that I was able to get the exam,” Stark testified.

Gillean’s attorneys argued that Stark took the keys without Gillean’s permission.

During the sentencing phase, Gillean’s attorneys asked the jury to not send him to prison. Gillean could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for each of the six counts. Dudley said Gillean – a former deputy attorney general – had already suffered enough.

“Losing his job, his reputation, being publicly humiliated, having his sex life exposed – he’ll never work as a lawyer or a professional again,” Dudley said.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, broadcast or distributed.)

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