Ex-Detroit Schools Superintendent testifies former Board President 'touched himself' in meeting

DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) - District Court Judge Nancy Farmer ruled today there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial against ex-Detroit School Board President Otis Mathis.

Mathis is charged with misconduct in office which is a felony that could send him to prison for five years if convicted. He is also charged with a misdemeanor of obscene conduct.

At a preliminary hearing on Friday, ex-Detroit Schools Superintendent Teresa Gueyser testified that Mathis touched himself inappropriately during a meeting in June.

"He put his hand in his pocket, unzipped his pants...he began to stroke his genital area," Gueyser testifed.

She said she called him a 'pervert', then left the conference room where the meeting was taking place.

But defense attorney Odie Uddyback says Gueyser embellished the entire incident in order to secure her contract with the school district or to file a lawsuit.

Uddyback says Mathis has bladder cancer and had had surgery that left him with a stint in his penis. Uddyback hinted that's why Mathis was touching himself in the genital area.

"All you heard was a zipper went down, she doesn't know what is going on with the zipper," Uddyback told the judge. "This individual (Mathis) just got back from surgery a month or two earlier, she misconstrued at the best."

One big problem for Mathis is that in his resignation letter to the board, he did admit he had done inappropriate things.

The case goes to circuit court in August.