Cape Girardeau man charged with sexual misconduct incidents on campus

A 27-year-old Cape Girardeau man pleaded not guilty Monday to four misdemeanor counts of sexual misconduct that claim he exposed his genitals to female university students during the fall.

Shawn M. Way on Monday was in court before Judge Gary Kamp, who accepted the plea and continued the case until Jan. 28 to give Way time to find a lawyer.

Way was issued a summons by Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Public Safety to appear in court on the misdemeanor charges, each of which carries a possible punishment of up to six months in the Cape Girardeau County Jail.

In separate incidents, three female students filed complaints that a man approached them during daylight hours and exposed himself, university officials said. The first report was made in September; the incident allegedly took place in the parking lot along Bellevue Street. The last incident was in October, university police said, near the Mark F. Scully Building near Woodland Avenue and Henderson Street.