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THE INVESTIGATION Why Did It Take 3 Years for Charges? 5 NOVEMBER 14, 2011 THE INVESTIGATION Why did it take 3 years for charges? BY SARA GANIM l The Patriot-News STATE COLLEGE l nvestigations are not perfect. They are fluid beings that change and evolve. And a com- plex probe involving multiple victims, dozens of witnesses and Ithousands of pages of documents can sometimes take three years. Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was indicted on 40 counts related to child sex abuse in an investigation launched in late 2008. One of the most frequent questions has been: Did the investigation need to take that long? The grand-jury presentment alleges that Sandusky victimized eight boys as young as 7 years old, from as far back as 1994. But 15 months had gone by before officials added enough manpower to find that out. There were earlier chances to bring him to the attention of law enforce- ment. Clues seem to have been ig- nored in 1995 and 1999, an alleged vic- tim came forward in 1998, and adults allegedly witnessed sexual assaults by Sandusky in 2000 and 2002. Then in 2008, Victim One came forward and was believed. Sandusky forcibly performed oral sex on him met the Clinton County boy through more than 20 times, and forced him to The Second Mile, the charity for kids perform oral sex on Sandusky. he had founded in 1977. The grand-jury account is a chilling At the time, Sandusky was a volun- tale. teer football coach at Central Moun- At first, the case shuffled through tain High School and had frequent the legal system. It was referred from contact with the boy there. Clinton County to Centre County, The boy’s mother brought him to where the crimes were alleged to have school officials, and he told them taken place. In March 2009, then-Cen- about the alleged abuse. tre County District Attorney Michael According to the grand-jury present- Madeira transferred the case to then- ment, the boy, who was then in his Attorney General Tom Corbett’s of- early teens, alleged that Sandusky had fice, citing a conflict of interest. PULITZER PRIZE ENTRY: LOCAL REPORTING JERRY SANDUSKY AND PENN STATE | PAGE 23 THE INVESTIGATION NOVEMBER 14, 2011 Despite the fact that Sandusky might continue to have contact with young boys through The Second Mile and despite the explosive possibility that a legendary Penn State coach might have committed repeated sexual as- saults, only one state trooper was as- signed to the case. A grand jury began looking at the Former Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky case in Harrisburg, but the investiga- The Second Mile founder is charged with 40 counts of tion centered around only the one sex abuse crimes against eight boys, including during his alleged victim and one set of incidents coaching days. He is released on $100,000 bail and faces of abuse. a preliminary hearing Dec. 7. Finally, in fall 2010, the attorney general’s office began to supervise the case. One of the first things that happened was the discovery of a 1998 report in the files of the Penn State police. In that case, a Second Mile boy now known as Victim Six had come for- ward to authorities. He told them that Sandusky had allegedly soaped up PSU officials Tim Curley, Gary Schultz the boy in the Penn State locker room Former Athletic Director Curley, right, and former Vice showers, hugged him from behind and President Schultz are charged with perjury and failing to said, “I’m going to squeeze your guts report the possible abuse of a child. They face prelimi- out.” nary hearings Thursday. Then-Centre County District At- torney Ray Gricar set up a sting in the mother’s home. Sandusky had request- ed to meet with the mom, and officers hid in another room. According to the presentment, Sandusky ask the mom for forgiveness. “I was wrong. I wish I could get forgiveness from you. I know I won’t get it from you. I wish I were dead,” Sandusky said. Former Head Coach Joe Paterno The football legend was fired by the university’s board of Gricar never brought charges. trustees. Attorney General Linda Kelly says he met his legal Ray Gricar disappeared in 2005 and obligation to report allegations to his boss. Paterno says, was declared dead this year. The lead “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.” investigator in his disappearance told The Patriot-News last week that there was no evidence relating Gricar’s fate to the Sandusky case. The 1998 report was a huge crack in the investigation. It demonstrated that Sandusky had been accused of child sex abuse before — in fact, 10 years before. Also in late 2010, Mike McQueary, an Former President Graham Spanier assistant coach, was interviewed about He was ousted by the trustees. Kelly last week did not give the alleged rape of a boy he’d seen in the same level of public assurance to Spanier that she did the Penn State locker room in 2002. Paterno. He remains a member of the faculty. PULITZER PRIZE ENTRY: LOCAL REPORTING JERRY SANDUSKY AND PENN STATE | PAGE 24 THE INVESTIGATION NOVEMBER 14, 2011 CHristinE bAkEr, The Patriot-News State Attorney General Linda Kelly held a press conference in Harrisburg to discuss the Jerry Sandusky child sex crimes investigation Nov. 5. The attorney general’s office began to supervise the case in fall 2010. Suddenly there were three alleged tigations take time, some of them, but victims. It was an early indication of someone should have been on this day the case’s scope. and night from the beginning because of the severity” of the allegations. Investigation takes off It wasn’t until early 2011 that The State Police Commissioner Frank Second Mile, which Attorney General Noonan, who took office in January, Linda Kelly said Sandusky used to increased the number of investigators find his victims, was officially notified to eight, including five from the state by authorities of a child abuse investi- police and three from the attorney gation, according to The Second Mile. general’s office. Sandusky already had been barred “He did move it forward, absolutely,” from participating in Second Mile ac- state police spokeswoman Maria Finn tivities with kids. Why? Because San- said. “He was very familiar with the dusky himself volunteered to Second case and believed it was necessary to Mile officials that he was under inves- increase the resources [and] inves- tigation more than two years earlier, tigators. It was also a time when the in November 2008. case was picking up steam with more When The Patriot-News broke the leads.” story of the investigation in March of Quickly, the investigation took off this year, officials from the Clinton and they discovered new victims. County school district where San- Interviewed for this story, Corbett dusky had allegedly spent time with spokesman Kevin Harley said he be- Victim One still had not been subpoe- lieved the information on the number naed. of investigators initially involved in the Penn State coach Joe Paterno, Ath- case was wrong. The Patriot-News has letic Director Tim Curley and Vice the information from sources with reli- President Gary Schultz did not testify able knowledge of the investigation. before the grand jury until February “It was completely mishandled,” one 2011. source close to the investigation told Second Mile CEO Jack Raykovitz The Patriot-News. “I know these inves- testified in April. PULITZER PRIZE ENTRY: LOCAL REPORTING JERRY SANDUSKY AND PENN STATE | PAGE 25 THE INVESTIGATION NOVEMBER 14, 2011 Investigators never asked the lead counsel. The presentment points out detective in the Ray Gricar case for that Courtney was also counsel for the prosecutor’s files. The Second Mile at the time. Gricar’s former staff members were Courtney told The Patriot-News that not interviewed until after March. is wrong. He said it was for about a And Sandusky’s home was not year in 2009 when he served as coun- searched until this summer — 2½ sel for both. years after the investigation began. Finally, there was the way that the “Assuming Sandusky was aware, indictments came out. for a few years, of the investigation, On Nov. 4, charges that had been then he would have had plenty of time brewing for nearly three years were to destroy potentially incriminating filed by accident. evidence,” said Beth Karas, a former Plans were in the works to arrest prosecutor and current correspondent Sandusky Nov. 7 and have Attorney for “In Session” on the truTV net- General Kelly hold a major press work. conference. Instead, the charges were Karas said she also can’t think of a posted prematurely on the Pennsyl- reason they wouldn’t warn The Sec- vania state court website while San- ond Mile about the investigation much dusky was on a family vacation in earlier. Ohio. “If they were taking the allegation The Patriot-News, which had been seriously, and of course they were, then closely following the investigation, it seems the children of Second Mile first reported the charges on Penn- should be of paramount concern,” she Live.com. As word spread, police said. “At a minimum, I would think scrambled to find Sandusky and get they inquired of Second Mile about him to an arraignment arranged hast- Sandusky’s role there, as of the time the ily for the following day. investigation began, and whether he It is unclear who made the mistake. had contact with children.” The attorney general’s office says it did not do it, and neither did the state Alleged victims’ families blindsided police.
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