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Larry Nassar's Longtime MSU Boss Arrested on Sexual Misconduct Charges

William Strampel, Former Dean of the Osteopathic Medicine Faculty at Michigan State University and Former Head of Convicted Child Abuser Larry Nassar was arrested on Monday in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct during his tenure at the university.

Strampel, 70, "used his office to harass, discriminate, disparage, sexually solicit and sexually assault female students," according to an affidavit filed by the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

] He was arrested Monday night and detained in Ingham County jail, confirmed HuffPost. Michigan District Judge Richard Ball of East Lansing authorized a criminal complaint and court order against Strampel on Tuesday morning detailing four criminal charges, including the misconduct of a public official, which is a felony punishable by five years in prison and a $ 10,000 fine. He was also charged with criminal sexual misconduct in the fourth degree and two minor charges of willful negligence.

The two charges of willful dereliction of duty are directly related to how Strampel handled a Title IX 2014 investigation into the allegations of sexual abuse against Nassar. Strampel allowed Nassar to continue working during the investigation, during which time the former doctor abused at least a dozen athletes.

Four female MSU medical students accuse Strampel of sexual misconduct dating back to 2010. The former dean allegedly sought out several students, solicited photos of nudity and sexual acts in exchange for favorable treatment, and repeatedly accused them sexually. researchers also found pornographic images and videos on Strampel's work computer.

Michigan State Police Lieutenant Ryan Pennell said in the affidavit that one of the videos on Strampel's computer was one of Nassar's sexually abusing a young athlete during one of her "treatment sessions."

One of Strampel's accusers alleges that in 2011 he asked her to come to his office after she fell asleep in his class. During the meeting, he allegedly asked her to circle around "twice so he could observe her body" and proceeded to reprimand her for her appearance, telling her that "he would never succeed in the profession if he did not". Dressing sexier. "

The same woman said that Strampel repeated her behavior during a 2013 meeting about her surgical residency, during which she advised him to learn his place in life and asked:" What do I have to do to teach you to be submissive? and subordinate to men? "

Another woman told investigators that Strampel once stated that" it was good when women were drunk, because then it was easy to have sex with them. "He said that Strampel also grabbed the ass during an Osteopathic Medicine College ball in 2010.

A woman told the police that "she was not surprised that Nassar could have victimized so many women under the supervision of Strampel"

Strampel's attorney did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment.

The interim president of MSU, the former governor from Michigan John Engler, responded to Strampel's arrest in a statement to HuffPost:

One of the first actions I took about my appointment as interim president of Michigan State University at the beginning February was to seek revocation of the tenure and dismissal of former Dean William Strampel. As explained then, it was clearly evident that he had not acted with the level of professionalism expected of an MSU employee, particularly one that has an office that involves the safety of students and patients.

MSU will continue to cooperate with all official investigations related to sexual assault or other misconduct. But we have and we will do more. With our action to revoke tenure, we are sending an unequivocal message that employees who do not treat students, faculty or any other person appropriately are subject to administrative disciplinary measures that may include dismissal. Accusations about Strampel's own behavior, as well as the lack of attention to Larry Nassar's conduct have now led to criminal charges against him by the Michigan Attorney General. Some of the allegations about his personal behavior, especially the conduct toward students, are disturbing. Today's positions confirm our belief that it has not fulfilled what is expected and requires academic leadership. They are not aligned with the values ​​of this university and never have been.

Their failures are unacceptable and that is why our work to change procedures, strengthen responsibility and prevent sexual misconduct is so important. While the crimes of a doctor and the misconduct of their dean do not represent our university, they do require everyone to scrutinize them to ensure that people like them can never harm others.

Attorney Jamie White, representing several survivors of Nassar, told HuffPost that he was not surprised by Strampel's arrest.

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"The University has been extremely negligent in its investigation of these issues," White said, adding: "We will never know how much evidence has been lost, altered and destroyed over the past few years." But, according to the complaint issued against Dr Strampel, it seems that attempts to hide and / or eliminate evidence continued until very recently. "

Strampel supervised Nassar, MSU team doctor, for almost 15 years , during which time Nassar sexually abused hundreds of athletes. He resigned as dean last year, officially due to medical reasons, but under pressure for how he handled complaints about Nassar. Strampel remains an employee of MSU and is named defendant in several civil suits against MSU.

Engler began the process of rescinding Strampel's employment in February, although an MSU spokeswoman told HuffPost earlier this month that the rescission process could take up to a year.

Strampel is scheduled to be processed at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Special prosecutor Bill Forsyth, who was tasked with investigating the role of the university in Nassar's case, will comment on the charges at a press conference in the afternoon.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Strampel said during a 2016 college meeting that he thought some of the athletes who accused Nassar of sexual abuse were lying.

Nassar abused at least 265 children and young women during his time at MSU and as a doctor on the US gymnastics team. Its victims include Olympic athletes Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney and Simone Biles. Last year, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison on charges of child pornography. This year he received two separate sentences of up to 175 years for sexual abuse.

The Michigan Attorney General's Office initiated an investigation into MSU after the news that several victims of Nassar had told school authorities about the abuse. The Detroit News reported that 14 school officials, including Strampel, were warned about the doctor's behavior over the course of two decades.

Lou Anna K. Simon, also named in the investigation, resigned as president of the MSU days after Nassar's sentencing in January. The NCAA and the US Department of Education UU They have launched their own investigations into how MSU handled reports of sexual abuse.

This story has been updated with a comment from interim president of MSU, John Engler.

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