Wilkes University terminates professor allegedly snared by 'Predator Catcher'

Aug. 22—WILKES-BARRE — An associate professor of psychology at Wilkes University was terminated Sunday amid allegations he met the self-proclaimed Luzerne County Predator Catcher over the weekend.

In a statement to students, Wilkes University President Greg Cant did not name the associate professor who was terminated.

The statement reads:

"This weekend, very serious accusations have been made against a longtime member of our faculty. The safety and well-being of those who learn, live and work at Wilkes is our highest priority, and it is important for me to provide you with an update on this situation.

The University first became aware of these allegations on Saturday evening and immediately began a thorough review process. Effective this morning, the faculty member in question is no longer employed by the University, an outcome achieved in accordance with the steps outlined in the Faculty Handbook.

Understandably, you may wonder how this could affect your coursework and studies. We are working to ensure that academic courses that were scheduled to be taught by this individual are offered without interruption. For courses that can no longer be offered, we will work with individual students to ensure they are not negatively impacted by this disruption. Additionally, we will reassign students to new academic advisors.

Undoubtedly, this incident comes as a shock to you and the entirety of our Wilkes community. Building and maintaining positive relationships is at the very core of our mission at Wilkes, and this individual's alleged behavior stands in direct opposition to our collective work. Now, more than ever, we must come together as a community and support each other. I encourage you to utilize the services provided by our campus counseling center, which are free and confidential, as we work through this difficult situation.

Wilkes has proven, time and again, that we find strength in times of challenge. I am confident that this will be no different and, together, we can emerge as a strong family of Colonels."

No criminal charges have been filed against the associate professor, whose video of his confrontation with Musa Harris, the self-proclaimed Luzerne County Predator Catcher, was posted online over the weekend.

The video shows Harris approaching a parked vehicle and a man dressed in women's clothing before the man speeds away.