Testimony About Office Keys Takes Center Stage in Trial of Former UCA Official

VAN BUREN, AR – Testimony about office keys took center stage today in the trial of UCA’s former chief of staff, under way in Van Buren County.

Jack Gillean, 57, is accused of commercial burglary in the 2012 thefts of college exams from the offices of UCA professors.

Prosecutors believe he gave then student Cameron Stark master keys to steal the tests.

The Log Cabin Democrat reports that today’s testimony has centered on the keys themselves. State witness Ryan Scott, one of the state’s witnesses who lived with Gillean during the period that the keys were allegedly exchanged testified.

Scott told the court that the set of master keys “was always getting passed between Jack [Gillean] and Cameron [Stark.] But when cross-examined by defense attorney Tim Dudley, he could provide no description of the keys. 

Gillean faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted.

Gillean was chief of staff at UCA for 16 years, gave student Cameron Stark a master key so he could steal tests on 15-20 occasions.

Gillian is even accused of accompanying Stark on one of the burglaries.

The trial is being held in Van Buren County after the judge ruled pretrial exposure to the case in Faulkner County was too great.

Gillian resigned from the school in June of 2012. He faces six felony counts of Commercial Burglary.  Prosecutors have filed two other charges in connection with their investigation. They will be considered in a separate trial.