By Patrick Noaker
Child Protection News
November 8, 2011
http://childprotectionnews.com/
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| Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky sits in a car as he leaves the office of Center County Magisterial District Judge Leslie A. Dutchcot, Nov. 5, 2011, in State College, Pa. Andy Colwell/The Patriot-News/AP |
St. Paul, Minnesota. This last week officials at Penn State University were indicted on charges of perjury for their role in concealing the sexual abuse of a child by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky enjoyed the reputation as being one of the best defensive coaches in the nation and the architect of the famous "linebacker U" named for the number of pro-level linebackers who trained under Sandusky.
In a 40 count criminal indictment, a Pennsylvania grand jury charged Sandusky and other Penn State officials with 40 criminal violations relating to Sandusky's sexual abuse of 8 boys over a 15-year period, and the cover-up of those crimes . According to the grand jury report, Sandusky accessed each of the victims through a youth services foundation named The Second Mile that Sandusky established to help disadvantaged children.
In 2002, a Penn State graduate assistant coach observed Sandusky assaulting a naked young boy in a shower at the Penn State Football facility. When the graduate assistant reported the assault to head football coach Joe Paterno, who relayed a minimized version of the assault to the Penn State Athletic Director, Tim Curley. Later, the graduate assistant met directly with Curley and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz and explained what he had observed (Sandusky sodomizing the young boy). Both A.D. Curly and Sr. V.P. Schultz buried the report. No police report was filed. No one attempted to find the boy who was being sodomized. Sandusky was allowed to continue to have access to children through The Second Mile. Under the indictment, Curly, Schultz and another former recruiting coordinator, were charged with perjury for lying to the grand jury about their knowledge of the sexual assault and with failing to report the sexual assault to law enforcement authorities.
This is an especially sad, but familiar, story. Disadvantaged children being sexually abused by powerful people who are protected by even more powerful people. How is it possible for employees of an institution whose mission is to educate and mentor kids to cover-up the sexual assault of a child without giving a single thought about the child? Where is that boy now? I hope that someone knows and has been able to provide him some help.
About the Author: Patrick Noaker is an attorney in St. Paul, Minnesota with the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates who handles cases involving childhood sexual abuse, pornography and exploitation as well as cases involving other crimes.
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