Penn State Case Paints Familiar Portrait for Police, Experts, Victims, by Josh White, Washington Post, November 30, 2011

Penn State Case Paints Familiar Portrait for Police, Experts, Victims

By Josh White
Washington Post
November 30, 2011

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/penn-state-case-paints-familiar-portrait-for-police-experts-victims/2011/11/23/gIQAibzOAO_story.html

Jerry Sandusky was an icon. He was fun, motivating, successful, trustworthy. He was a coach, a mentor, a family man, a churchgoer and a dedicated philanthropist who split his life between two pursuits: Penn State football and helping disadvantaged kids.

Now, Sandusky is alleged to have repeatedly courted, groomed and abused young boys for at least 15 years. Those who know him well can't believe the accusations.

But police, prosecutors and sex crime experts say that Sandusky's alleged abuse is illustrative of sex predation across the country. It is an extremely high-profile version of what police departments and social services offices see regularly: A man in a position of trust is accused of abusing those who are most vulnerable.

Capt. Bill Carson of the Maryland Heights, Mo., police department, a 32-year veteran who has studied imprisoned sex offenders, noticed similarities between his cases and the Penn State case right away.

"I interviewed a lot of charismatic people that would appear to be really nice people if you didn't know what they were in prison for," he said. "They came across as being very pleasant. A lot of them had been in a position of trust. They were youth pastors or school teachers or YMCA volunteers, Boy Scout leaders, Little League coaches.

"They were well respected and well thought of in their career," Carson said. "And when the charges came down, everyone was shocked."

Sandusky is alleged to have pursued what appears to be a long grooming process that involved his infiltrating the lives of his alleged victims, spending private time with them, and ultimately cajoling them into increasingly sexual situations. At a program such as Penn State's, access to the football field, to the players and to the facilities would be attractive to fans of all ages, and perhaps especially to young boys.

A Pennsylvania grand jury said Sandusky pursued boys using his position at Penn State and at the Second Mile, a charity he founded for disadvantaged youths.

"What the grand jury report and the people we've been talking to show is a luring of young boys into being enamored of Sandusky's stardom in the community, his ability to grant access to a citadel of sports fame and stadiums and contact with football players and bowl games," said David Marshall, a Washington lawyer who is working with others who allege abuse in the case. "All of that certainly is designed for, and would have the effect of, making someone feel like they were in a very special relationship with a very special person."

The Sandusky case is different in that it has forever affected a major college football program and a university with a previously sterling reputation. But the experts and law enforcement officials say the vast majority of predators share many of the same traits as Sandusky. They are teachers, counselors, clergymen and coaches who might be close to kids anyway, so the amount of time they spend with children and the close relationships they build don't raise too many questions.