Campus prowler enters rehabilitation program

By Alexis Schulz

The man responsible for two sexual offenses in West Village and trespassing in the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority house in October of 2015 was allowed into the Mercer County Superior Court’s Pre Trial Intervention (PTI) Program.

Jon Cannon, 25, of Hamilton, was arrested on Oct. 2, 2015, with two counts of third-degree burglary, one count of fourth degree criminal sexual contact and one count of fourth degree defiant trespassing. He was first being held on $130,000 bail, which was then reduced to $70,000. Cannon posted bail on Oct. 13 when, according to Casey Diblasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, his bail was reduced again to $25,000.

When Cannon was arraigned on Oct. 6, he faced a five-year jail sentence and a $15,000 fine for the two burglary charges and a potential 18-month jail sentence and $10,000 fine for the trespassing and sexual contact charges.

On Oct. 24, Cannon was allowed into the PTI Program, a Mercer County divisionary program offered to first time offenders with little to no criminal history, according to NJ.com. If the program is completed, the offender obtains no criminal record.

In addition to the incidents at Rider, Cannon was arrested twice in the summer of 2015, in July for attempted auto theft and August for break-ins around the White Horse, Hamilton area.

Kristine Brown, Rider spokeswoman, said the university has been made aware of Cannon’s acceptance into the PTI program and had no further comment.