Today’s the first legal opportunity for three men to defend themselves surrounding the Jerry Sandusky scandal. One of the men, Graham Spanier, was one of Penn State’s most prominent administrators.
In Monday’s preliminary hearing, Spanier, along with former athletic director, Tim Curley and retired Vice President Gary Schultz, begin a formal court process on charges they covered up an allegation that Jerry Sandusky was sexually preying on boys.
The three are charged with perjury, obstruction, endangering the welfare of children, failure to properly report suspected abuse and conspiracy.
The three are charged with perjury, obstruction, endangering the welfare of children, failure to properly report suspected abuse and conspiracy.
Those charges include allegations of hiding evidence from investigators and lying to the grand jury, such as former University police chief, Thomas Harmon and former General Counsel, Cynthia Baldwin. They will go before District Judge William Wenner, a former Dauphin County detective. For this hearing, state prosecutors led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Bruce Beemer WILL not trying to prove the men’s guilt.
Rather, they just have to prove that enough evidence exists to warrant a trial.
Curley and Schultz were initially charged in November 2011, when Sandusky was arrested, and accused of perjury and failure to properly report the incident.
Spanier was forced out as president at that time. A year later, he was charged with covering up a complaint about Sandusky while additional charges were filed against Curley and Schultz. Spanier remains a faculty member on administrative leave.
Paterno was fired and died in January 2012.