MILFORD – A University of New Hampshire professor charged with indecent exposure and lewdness came to court a day early and nearly missed the media scrutiny his trial, set for this morning, was expected to bring.

Yesterday, Edward Larkin, 60, pleaded not guilty to one Class A misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure, and waived his right to a trial on the district court level, asking instead that the charge be forwarded to the Superior Court where he could face a trial by jury.

The legal maneuver, according to Milford's prosecuting attorney Michael McCall, requires the district court to enter a finding against the defendant and impose a sentence, but it is assumed that the finding and sentence will be appealed at the Superior Court level if the defendant specifically requests a jury trial.

However, if Larkin doesn't request a jury trial, he will simply accept the finding imposed by the district court judge and the case will be closed without any trial ever taking place.

Larkin is accused of approaching a mother and daughter, ages 17 and 38, in the parking lot of the Market Basket supermarket at 21 Jones Road with his genitals exposed.

According to police reports, Larkin allegedly drove his 2000 BMW motorcycle to the supermarket parking lot last July 19, parked and began exposing himself to people walking by.

►Prominent UNH professor accused of indecent exposure (25)

The women began walking toward the grocery store and turned back to see Larkin allegedly approaching another couple. When the professor approached a group of kids, the women called the police.

After the incident, Larkin left the parking lot on his motorcycle. The women called police on a cell phone and were able to give police Larkin's license plate number.

Milford police alerted local police departments, and Amherst police officers stopped Larkin shortly afterward on Route 101. Milford police also responded to continue the investigation.

"When stopped," the police report said, "the fly on the suspect's pants was undone." Several days later, Larkin was charged with one count of lewdness and indecent exposure, a Class A misdemeanor and turned himself in to UNH police.

In a mostly empty courtroom yesterday morning, Milford District Court Judge Martha Crocker entered a finding of guilty against Larkin, a professor of German at UNH who has been on suspension and banned from the campus since July. Crocker imposed a sentence of a $1,000 fine, a psychological evaluation and 10 hours of counseling as suggested by prosecutor McCall.