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| Jerry Sandusky |
After receiving advice from his father, the graduate assistant reported the rape to the head football coach, Joe Paterno. Paterno reported the incident to his immediate superior, Tim Curley (Penn State Athletic Director).
A week and a half later, the graduate assistant was called into a meeting with Tim Curley and Gary Schultz (Senior Vice President for Finance and Business, Penn State University, a position that includes oversight of the Penn Sate University Police Department). At this meeting the graduate assistant again recounted witnessing Jerry Sandusky raping the young boy.
Curley and Schultz covered up the rape allegations (and this was not the first time Schultz had heard allegations of Sandusky committing sexually inappropriate behavior on young boys in campus showers).
I believe that this graduate assistant was trying to do the right thing. I believe that he felt reporting the rape to Paterno, and later to Curley and Schultz, would result in an official investigation. But this was not what happened.
I want you to understand this: A graduate assistant told Penn State University officials that he saw Jerry Sandusky anally raping a boy that looked to be about 10 years old, and they did nothing.
- They did not contact the police.
- They did not contact child protective services.
- They did not contact university police.
- They did not try to find out the identity of the young boy.
- They did not even meet with the witness until more than a week had passed.
- And when confronted by a grand jury, they lied.
Because this incident was not reported to the police, Sandusky was able to roam about freely, having contact with other children, for nine more years.
What should you do if you witness a child being abused or sexually assaulted?
Call your local police
or call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD
Do not report abuse or sexual assault to your boss, the perpetrator's boss, or any other civilian. You can not be sure they will treat the situation seriously! You can not trust that they will take your information and do the right thing with it!
If you are afraid to call the police, call the National Child Abuse Hotline, where you can make your report anonymously.
If you are afraid to call the police, call the National Child Abuse Hotline, where you can make your report anonymously.
*Sandusky is currently charged with 40 criminal counts, and the grand jury has identified eight victims. At this time, the investigation is still open. Curley and Schultz are charged with committing perjury when testifying in front of a grand jury in January 2011 (denying knowledge of the sexual assault), and failure to report under the Child Protective Services Law. You can read the full grand jury report here, and find further information from the Pennsylvania Attorney General here.
**How this news story touched me, personally.
***UPDATE 6/22/2012: Jerry Sandusky is found guilty of 45 out of 48 charges brought against him
Unforgiveable.
ReplyDeleteEvil, wrong, and unforgiveable.
From my point of view those 2 men were as guilty of all those rapes as the actual rapist. When you see or hear of it and do nothing you just as well raped the victim and should be charged just as the rapist is.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a Penn State graduate and he's completely disgusted and gobsmacked by this. Awful!
ReplyDeleteThis is crazy. It sickens me the number of organizations and clubs who don't just screw up like this, but who also teach their members to report sexual abuse/rape to the higher-ups in the organizations before they report it to the police. Sick. Sick. Sick.
ReplyDeleteYou can also call local/state child protective services.
ReplyDeleteThere isnt an excuse for these men who turned a blind-eye. However, I believe there needs to be training for people particularly mandatory reporters. There really isn't any required in Virginia so people don't understand what they need to know/see in order to make a report and if they can remain anonymous or not.
I just keep asking myself why that grad assistant didn't call 911? Call 911. Go the nearest phone you can find, tell the person at that desk that you need to report a crime in progress, and dial 911.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has knowledge of such behaviour, particularly those in positions of power, must report these reports to the authorities. By choosing not to, they are, in effect, participating in the rapes of any future children who are abused by an unchecked offender.
ReplyDeleteThose men should also be prosecuted and jailed for their inappropriate actions and their lack of appropriate actions.
Replace child with woman and I feel the exact same way. Abuse is abuse is abuse. Cover-up is always collusion.
It's all so disgusting, isn't it? Put it in the hands of the police! YES! I hope this guy gets whats coming to him.
ReplyDeleteThat is EVIL. I count them even more accountable than Sandusky because they allowed him to keep stalking. Those two are rapists, too.
ReplyDeleteIt sickens me that evil like this exists.
ReplyDeleteSo sad for each precious child represented by this story. And there is a special corner in Hell for those who prey upon the innocents. And another for those who cover their tracks!
ReplyDeleteI can't even begin to wrap my head around this....
ReplyDeleteThis was the "good ole boy" network at work protecting its own. Paterno limes to tout Penn State's motto, "Victory, with Honor" really means"Victory AT ANY COST!"
ReplyDeleteah, that's messed up. we'll deal with internally without legal matters getting involved is no intervention.
ReplyDelete