Convicted professor deported to New Guinea

Lason Lain Watai, 47, only served 99 days of a one-year sentence at the Bedford County jail before he was released to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the district attorney's office and sheriff officials.

He was charged two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of solicitation of a minor and attempted aggravated statutory rape.

Watai entered a guilty plea as his trial was to begin in March, admitting that he engaged in Internet chats with Shelbyville Police Detective Charles Merlo from May 25 to 27 of last year, with Watai believing that the detective was a 13-year-old girl from Shelbyville named April.

On May 27, 2008, Watai asked "April" if she wanted to have sex, then sent web links to the detective over the next two days. The web sites contained pornographic video, photos and other sexual content.

Watai also told "April" in an Internet chat on May 28 he wanted to meet her in a park in Shelbyville and then travelled to the meeting spot, where he was arrested by Shelbyville police on May 29.

During the chats, "April" said that Dr. Pepper was her favorite drink and Watai brought some to the meeting.

Each of the charges against Watai were Class E felonies, which carry a sentence of one to six years and a $3,000 fine.

The prison terms could have been served concurrently or consecutively, but Watai received the minimum jail term possible from Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell due to his having no past criminal record.

Watai was also entered into the National Sexual Offender Registry.

But with Watai out of the country, his neighbors in Nashville are wondering who's going to mow his yard.

According to WKRN-TV, Watai's usually manicured lawn has been left unattended since his arrest, and since the former professor owned the property free and clear, the banks cannot foreclose on the house.

Also, because Watai is no longer in the country, Nashville codes officials cannot enter the abandoned property to cut the lawn, WKRN reported.

Watai was an assistant professor of the Practice of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, according to Vanderbilt's web site last year.

At a pre-trial hearing in February, Russell ordered Watai into custody and placed under $150,000 bond because he did not surrender his passport as ordered.

Watai testified that he was dismissed from the university in December 2008 following an investigation into the charges.

As a result, Watai's work-related visa was terminated and he said he had been in the process of applying for a change in status of his visa with the Department of Homeland Security.

Under cross examination, Watai said that he could have returned to his home country, where he has family, but chose to stay in America and defend himself against the charges.

Last December, Watai declined a settlement offer from the district attorney's office. Defense attorney John Norton told Russell at the time that he had filed for a pretrial diversion in Watai's case, but it was denied by assistant district attorney Richard Cawley. Norton asserted that the state abused its discretion.

Norton told Russell there was no dispute of the facts in the case, but "the interpretation of the facts" was the issue.

Watai's case was one of several brought by Merlo, who has been conducting undercover operations in a regional Internet chat room posing as a 13-year-old girl.