Adam Voiland

Clayton Nelson, the man who stole artwork from the Behrend Room in the Athletic Center last winter, has been given a two-year prison sentence.

Nelson, who also took items from Smith, UMass, Holy Cross, Dartmouth, Colby-Sawyer, Bryant, and Providence, pled guilty to five counts of larceny for the theft of three sailing prints by Claus Bergen, an antique table, and a glass-enclosed model of a sailing sloop.

Despite the prosecutor's request for up to a five-year incarceration, Nelson will be sentenced to two, which will be followed by three years of probation. As part of the probation Nelson must undergo psychological and psychiatric treatment, take all medications prescribed by evaluations, and forward copies of treatment records to the department of probation. At an earlier court proceeding, Nelson's attorney had argued that at the time of the crimes, his client had been profoundly depressed upon learning his father was ill with cancer and diabetes.

Mr. Nelson entered the Athletic Center last year, in what were described as street clothes. Thinking he was a custodian, a number of students, including the girls' varsity basketball team, saw Mr. Nelson. One player even jested ironically at Mr. Nelson's intentions, as they saw him carting the various items about.