Sheriff's deputies on Monday arrested a former Michigan State University dean who supervised Larry Nassar, the former sports doctor who is in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of child pornography and sexual misconduct.
William Strampel, 70, was being held in the Ingham County Jail. The Detroit Free Press reports that there are multiple charges against Strampel, including one felony, but authorities would not immediately elaborate on specifics.
A news conference is scheduled for noon Tuesday.
Last month, interim MSU President John Engler began the process of stripping Strampel of his tenure and firing him.
"William Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we expect from individuals who hold senior leadership positions, particularly in a position that involves student and patient safety," Engler said in a statement released by the university at the time. "Further, allegations have arisen that question whether his personal conduct over a long period of time met MSU's standards. We are sending an unmistakable message today that we will remove employees who do not treat students, faculty, staff, or anyone else in our community in an appropriate manner."
The Associated Press writes:
"Strampel was the dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, which includes the sports medicine clinic, until he announced a leave of absence for medical reasons in December. He told police last year that he never followed up after ordering Nassar in 2014 to have a third person present when providing treatment to "anything close to a sensitive area." In letting Nassar resume seeing patients, he also said any skin-to-skin contact should be minimal and needed to be explained in detail. Nassar was fired in 2016 for violating the rule. His dismissal came less than a month after former gymnast Rachael Denhollander filed a criminal complaint saying Nassar had sexually assaulted her with his hands while treating her for back pain years earlier."
As NPR's Amy Held wrote earlier this month, "Some 200 girls and young women have made similar accusations against the disgraced doctor, who has pleaded guilty to child pornography and criminal sexual misconduct charges. Nassar is behind bars after receiving prison sentences of up to hundreds of years."
John Manly, a lawyer for many of the victims, said his clients were encouraged by Strampel's arrest, saying it showed that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette "is serious about investigating the systemic misconduct at MSU that led to the largest child sex abuse scandal in history and holding the responsible parties accountable," according to the AP.
A Michigan State spokeswoman said the university would continue cooperating with any investigations.
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