March 24, 2006

Cross-dressing man arrested for indecency
in a library

Cross-dressing man arrested for indecency in a library

by Eric Resnick

Bellaire, Ohio--A 72 year old cross-dresser known to locals in this eastern Ohio village as �Mr. Shoes� for wearing flashy high heels was arrested March 17 after someone complained of his behavior in a library.

�It was not for the way he was dressed,� said Bellaire police chief Mike Kovalyk. �There�s no law against that.�

Kovalyk said Samuel McGilton, who now lives across the Ohio River in Wheeling, West Virginia, was seen sitting on a chair on the second floor of the library dressed as a woman and doing what �appeared on the [surveillance] video to be masturbation.�

Kovalyk said the incident allegedly occurred March 6, at 4:45 in the afternoon and that a complaint was made by someone in the library later.

According to Kovalyk, the video shows McGilton seated �with the skirt over top of his penis.�

Kovalyk said McGilton �had hold of his penis through the skirt� for four or five minutes. McGilton was on the surveillance video a total of 18 minutes. �He was not reading.�

�We don�t bring charges,� said Kovalyk. �We send it to the prosecutor, and they decide the charge.�

McGilton was charged with public indecency, a second degree misdemeanor.

The prosecution is being handled by Belmont County assistant prosecutor Robert Quirk, who said he reviewed the videotape.

Police identified McGilton from the video because his picture had appeared earlier in an unrelated local newspaper story, which was remembered by librarians.

Kovalyk said it took until March 17 to issue a warrant, then track the former Ohio resident to Wheeling.

�He had the same skirt on when he was arrested,� said Kovalyk.

Kovalyk said McGilton has no prior record and is not known as a sex offender. He is a retired truck driver who was married and divorced twice.

McGilton was released on a $1,500 bond, and will be arraigned March 27.

According to Quirk, public defender Eric Costine has been assigned to the case by the court. McGilton has not hired an attorney on his own to this point.

McGilton could not be found for comment. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and $750 fine.

He would also be required to register as a sex offender.

The case is before Eastern Division Judge D. William Davis.

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