As we reported on back in June of 2016, former ‘Carolina Ghostbusters’ cosplay fan group leader Michael ‘Doc’ Robert Geressy has been convicted of child solicitation.
Geressy, 37, of Gastonia, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to solicitation of a child by a computer Monday at the Lincoln County (NC) Courthouse. He will serve 75 days in prison followed by four months of electric monitoring. Geressy will then be required to register as a sex offender for 30 years.
Details of the events leading to the arrest, and eventual conviction can be found HERE in our previous article.
Geressy made a few court appearances leading up to his guilty plea on Monday, including one back in January when his attorney said Geressy was resolving some insurance issues before checking in at in-patient care facility. Those plans fell through, however, and Geressy did not get counseling.
As expected, many in the local and regional fandom communities have continued to express anger, shock, sadness, and disgust both in response to the initial charges, as well as the recent guilty verdict. Many regional convention organizers have already released official statements, including Jada Diaz, convention chairperson of Charlotte-based ConCarolinas who stated: “ConCarolinas strives to make our environment safe and friendly for our guests, vendors, and attendees. We always advise people attending any convention to use safety practices such as having a buddy and not leaving your children unattended. As a convention we wanted to see the justice system in action. With this matter now legally resolved, we would like to continue with having fun and keeping our convention family friendly. As for my personal opinion, this situation still saddens me. I knew Mr. Geressy for many years and considered him a friend. To see him walk down such a dark path is scary. I can only hope he will truly see the error of his ways and get help.” as well as Todd Patton, chairman of Chattanooga, TN-based Con Nooga who stated in part: “This truly has set cosplay and costumers back, and this pervert has damaged the good that so many of us attempt to do. It truly makes me sick and angry.”
Thus far, Geressy has been permanently banned from no less than twenty different conventions, including those listed above. As of the time of this writing, Geressy has declined all attempts from all media outlets, including this one, to comment on any of this matter.
We at Nerd Nation take a firm stance against this disgusting and deplorable behavior and encourage all other conventions and fandom-related events (and really, all events of any kind) to join these people in banning this individual and keeping these types of people far away from our great community. If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse, please do not hesitate to contact your local police directly. While these types of things are not at all common in the fandom community, this is still a very real issue that must be dealt with, and with our combined efforts, it can be eradicated completely.
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-Dave Harlequin
Editor/Staff Writer: Nerd Nation Magazine
@DaveHarlequin
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