An Ohio men's basketball player is facing a fifth-degree felony charge for allegedly using an Ohio University checking account number to pay for pornography on the Internet.
James S. Bridgewater, a sophomore guard/forward for the Ohio men's basketball team, was indicted in the Athens County Court of Common Pleas in March for telecommunications fraud. The charge carries a penalty of up to 12 months in prison or a $2500 fine, said Richard Ross, assistant Athens County prosecutor.
Bridgewater, 20, originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., allegedly used the account number off an OU refund check around Jan. 9 to charge about $25 to subscribe to the Internet porn site http://www.kingchile.com, according to an Athens County court document.
He had a preliminary hearing July 14, and will be in court next Sept. 8.
Derek Scott, director of communications for the Ohio Athletics Department, said the athletic department will wait for the case to go through the county judicial system before athletic department officials take any action.
"We want this thing to run its course through the judicial system," he said. "And once it has we will make a decision about James' future."
Scott said any penalties the athletic department might impose on Bridgewater would come directly out of the Student-Athlete Handbook, which specifies academic and behavioral standards to which Ohio athletes must adhere. He said the handbook is based on the OU Student Code of Conduct and that OU Judiciaries' findings in the situation, which were concluded shortly after the January incident occurred, would play a part in an athletic department decision.
"We take our cue from University Judiciaries," Scott said. "They have already adjudicated this case. And James has done the things that were required as far as his penalty. Usually University Judiciaries doesn't act until the legal system does its thing, but they took action early on this."
Bridgewater played for Ohio in 24 games off the bench in the 2002-03 season. He averaged 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in an average of about 8 minutes per game. His major is undecided.
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