Former CSN professor has lewdness case charges dropped
The gross lewdness case against former College of Southern Nevada Professor Mark Peplowski was dismissed Wednesday, his attorney said.
Peplowski, who was a professor in the social sciences department at CSN for nearly 23 years, allegedly engaged in sexual conduct in a public location in two separate incidents in 2017.
Police records claim that Peplowski picked up a woman on June 8, 2017, in his gold Toyota Highlander and had sex with her as he stood outside the vehicle in a vacant lot. On July 19, 2017, Peplowski allegedly picked up a different woman on the 2500 block of Fremont Street after roaming an area where prostitution is known to occur, according to the police report.
Dustin Marcello, Peplowski’s attorney, argued that police had to use “high-powered binoculars” to view the incidents and that they weren’t reasonably visible to the public.
“In no way was it open to the public,” Marcello said, adding that it’s comparable to someone using a high-powered telescope to peer into a bedroom window.
Peplowski, who is also an attorney, began teaching part-time at CSN in 1995. He became a full-time employee in August 2001, and the Nevada Board of Regents granted him tenure in March 2006.
Months after he was granted tenure, college administrators moved to fire him after he was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute.
His ouster, however, was halted by then-President Richard Carpenter, and Peplowski kept his job. CSN officials late last year refused to comment on the most recent case, citing personnel issues.
CSN spokesman Richard Lake confirmed on Wednesday that Peplowski stopped working for the college on June 6, but Lake would not say whether Peplowski was fired or left of his own accord, or if the college held a disciplinary hearing.
Peplowski earned nearly $83,000 annually at the time his employment ended.
Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.
