UMD Professor's Shorts Lead To Indecent Exposure Charge: Police

COLLEGE PARK, MD — A University of Maryland lecturer has been charged with indecent exposure after counselors overseeing a summer youth volleyball camp said he exposed himself to teenage girls.

The incident happened this summer during a youth volleyball camp held at the UMD campus, according to charging documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun. On July 19, officers with the UMD Police Department were called to the chemistry building on Regents Drive for a report of suspicious activity.

Counselors leading a group of 60 campers, ages 13 to 17, told police they ran into a man in front of the chemistry building, later identified as a UMD lecturer. The man wore a yellow hat, black T-shirt, yellow shorts and black and yellow shoes, according to charging documents.

Witnesses reported the lecturer, later identified as Richard "Charlie" Charles Apter, 67, of College Park, was wearing shorts cut to mid-thigh and that his genitals were visible as he walked past the group.

The next day, a UMD police officer saw Apter outside the station wearing the same clothing, which matched surveillance footage and allowed police to identify Apter as the man near the girls from the volleyball camp, reported The Diamondback. Apter told police that if he had been exposed, it was accidental, charging documents said.

However, investigators scoured Apter's social media accounts and found several photos dating back to 2022 where he was wearing similar short shorts, including some posted photos where he exposed himself.

Apter has been charged with three counts of indecent exposure and faces up to 11 years in prison and $12,000 in fines.

He appeared at a bail hearing Sept. 8 and was released on a $2,500 bond, The Baltimore Sun reported. His trial is scheduled for Dec. 2 in the Prince George’s County District Court in Hyattsville.

Apter's LinkedIn page showed he is in his eighth year of teaching at UMD as a senior lecturer; however The Diamondback said he's in his 13th year at the university. He teaches three courses per semester including livestock production, animal behavior, animal welfare, grazing animal management and a food class.

“This individual has been placed on administrative leave and is prohibited from accessing campus facilities pending further investigation,” this university wrote in a statement to The Diamondback.