By Andy Furillo and Matt Kawahara
afurillo@sacbee.com
A former Sacramento State professor was arrested in Idaho last weekend after a teenaged Idaho girl reported that he allegedly exposed himself while on a flight from Salt Lake City to Lewiston, according to media reports and records. Police said the man told them that he had spilled Tabasco sauce on his groin and the girl mistook his actions.
Rafael Escamilla, a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Sacramento State until he left the university last year for a new job in Florida, denied any wrongdoing.
"I can't say much," Escamilla said in a telephone interview with The Bee today. "My attorney advised me not to say anything about it, other than I'll be pleading not guilty. I am not guilty."
The Lewiston Morning Tribune reported the 17-year-old girl, who was sitting next to the man, told Lewiston police that she moved to a different seat after seeing the 50-year-old Escamilla's exposed his genitals.
When the flight landed, the girl told her father, who told Transportation Security Administration personnel, the Morning Tribune reported. TSA personnel informed Lewiston police about the incident.
Escamilla said the case "was more of a misunderstanding type thing. She thought one thing was going on and in effect it was totally different that what she perceived. She went by perceptions. That's what's going to come out in the trial if there is one."
Escamilla told police that he had spilled Tabasco sauce on his groin area, causing it to itch, the newspaper reported.
The Nez Perce County Jail confirmed that Escamilla, who gave an address in Gulf Breeze, Fla., was booked into the jail on Dec. 26 on suspicion of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor.
Escamilla told The Bee he had been employed at Sacramento State for eight years until his move to Florida last year. According to the university's web site, Escamilla taught biomechanics-related courses. The web site web site still lists Escamilla as a faculty member.
Earlier this month, the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper reported that Escamilla left Sacramento State after being appointed an affiliate professor in the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of South Florida.
Escamilla is also director of research for the Andrews Institute's Andrews-Paulos Research and Education Institute, based in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.
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