Two misdemeanor convictions mean college student must register as sex offender for life

A former Fresno State student who was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery against two students was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and ordered to register for life as a sex offender.

Superior Court Judge John Vogt also sentenced Deandre JeanPierre, 24, to two years in jail, but suspended the sentence as long as the defendant abides by conditions of his probation.

Fresno police say Jean-Pierre groped five Fresno State female students over a three-month period at apartment complexes near the college campus from Oct. 23 to Dec. 1 last year. The case was high-profile because JeanPierre, who also goes by Jean-Pierre, once played the role of Fresno State mascot TimeOut.

JeanPierre initially faced five misdemeanor charges of sexually battery. But a jury last month convicted him of only two of the charges involving attacks that occurred during the evening hours of Oct. 23.

Prior to the trial, JeanPierre, a Fresno High graduate who was studying communications and theater arts at Fresno State, had no prior criminal record. He has been kicked out of Fresno State and banned from going on campus, defense attorney Franz Criego said.

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Two misdemeanor convictions mean college student must register as sex offender for life."