Mass. man banned from all colleges

Convicted sex offender found soliciting female undergrads near UConn campus

STORRS, Conn. - A convicted sex offender who solicited female students on campus was banned from all college campuses in the nation, a Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

John Urban, 38, of Billerica, Mass., is free after posting $150,000 bail.

Under the conditions of the bail, Urban was ordered to stay away from all female college undergraduates.

"The bond conditions are our efforts to assure the citizenry of (the University of Connecticut) that they are safe, and that Mr. Urban is not a threat to them," said defense lawyer James Sulick.

Urban was arrested March 9 on weapons charges after a sock filled with rocks, a brown lockblade knife, handcuffs with a chain, rope and two condoms were found in his vehicle.

On March 18, Urban was charged by UConn police with three counts of stalking and two counts of disorderly conduct after he appeared at the police station to pick up his impounded vehicle.

According to police, 57 female students have come forward to say that Urban asked them to baby-sit his children or watch his dogs. Some of the women said they accepted rides from Urban.

Police Chief Robert Hudd said he is grateful for the decision. On multiple occasions police asked the prosecuting attorney and bail commissioner for Urban to be banned from UConn, Hudd said.

"I think that (the ban) is a good thing," said Kathleen Holgerson, director of the UConn Women's Center.

"It is an important recognition that it was not only our campus he was a threat to, but other campuses as well," she said.

Liz Erhardt, UConn Undergraduate Student Government president, was also pleased with the judge's ruling, saying that it will give other universities an immediate reason to arrest Urban if he is found on their campus.

Marisa Nadolny, UConn senior, said she was uncertain of how effective the ban would be. She said Urban may try to alter his identity should he ever try to come back to UConn, and a ban should have been implemented from the beginning of the investigation.

Urban was convicted in 1982 of raping a child, stalking and kidnapping. He was sentenced to life in Bridgewater State Hospital, a psychiatric institution in Mass., after he plead guilty to several incidents, including rape, attempted rape and assault of minors.

Urban spent 15 years in Bridgewater and was released in 1998. He is scheduled to appear in court April 7.

03-25-99