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Dr. William Strampel, a former dean who still earns $412,000 a year as a MSU's medical school professor, is accused of sexual misconduct, misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty.
Dr. William Strampel "used his office to harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition and sexually assault female students," the state says.
"[An] affidavit presented in court says that Strampel groped two female medical students, made inappropriate sexual comments to female students and that investigators found pornographic images on his computer," write Matt Mencarini and Christopher Haxel of the Lansing State Journal. Dozens of nude photos were on an office hard drive seized Feb. 2 -- nearly 17 months after MSU fired Dr. Larry Nassar.
Strampel, a 70-year-old osteopath who stepped down as dean in December, was arrested Monday night and arraigned Tuesday afternoon on charges of felony misconduct in office and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He returns May 3 for a preliminary hearing in East Lansing District Court.
"Strampel used his office to harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition and sexually assault female students," says a seven-page Michigan State Police affidavit supporting the criminal accusations.
Commentary: The Harvey Weinstein of East Lansing Brings More Shame on MSU
The Lansing paper says.
The charges are apparently the first related to a Michigan Attorney General's investigation of sexual misconduct at Michigan State University. ... Neglect of duty charges relate to the way Strampel handled protocols put in place after Nassar's 2014 Title IX investigation, according to the affidavit. ...
The sexual assault charge is a high court misdemeanor, which means it carries a two-year maximum sentence. The willful neglect of duty charges carry a one-year maximum each.
MSU Interim President John Engler last month began steps to revoke his tenure.
In the court affidavit, First Detective Lt. Ryan Pennell of the Michigan State Police says this about a June 29, 2017 meeting at Strampel's office with a female medical student identified as Victim 1:
Strampel told V-1 that she would not perform well enough to continue in medical school and denied her appeal. Strampel then spoke about his working with 20- to 30-year-olds and said that some of his friends had sexual relations with women that age. According to V-1, who was 26 years old at the time, Strampel then suggested that 26-year-old women can "put out" for 20 minutes with an old man . . . and in return the women could get the benefit of a free vacation. V-1 felt intimidated, not only by the sexual nature of the conversation, but by the fact that Strampel had begun referring specifically to 26-year-olds, her very age.
The legal filing also describes another medical student's accounts of two office meetings in 2011 and 2013 when the dean "instructed her to turn around in a circle twice so that he could observe her body." The detective lieutenant's affidavit says this of the second occasion:
As soon as she entered his office, he directed her to slowly turn around twice so he could look at her body. Strampel advised her that she needed to learn her place in life and asked her: "What do I have to do to teach you to be submissive and subordinate to men?" . . .
In 2014, her fourth year of medical school, V-2 received a scholarship and attended a special dinner to honor the recipients. . . . As she stood next to Strampel waiting for [a] picture to be taken, Strampel reached around and grabbed V-2's left buttock and gripped it firmly.
A third medical student told investigators that "Strampel agreed to what he called a 'favor' and let her take [an] exam a third time. In return, Strampel said, V-3 would be required to do anything for him. If he called on the weekend and told her to come to his house, she would have to do it. . . . V-3 understood that she was being asked to do anything he wanted sexually in exchange for the favor."
The Lansing State Journal posts sensational details about the accusation against the educator who led MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine for 15 years (2002 until December):
In either 2006 or 2007, Strampel had a conversation with a woman, identified only as Victim 4, at a local flu clinic and turned the conversation to drinking. He then said how "it was good when women were drunk, because then it was easy to have sex with them."
During the college's annual ball in 2010, Strampel approached the woman from behind and grabbed her right buttock. The woman didn't report it then, she told police, because she "did not want to be thrown out of medical school."
A forensic examination of Strampel's work computer found about 50 photographs of "bare vaginas, nude and semi-nude women, sex toys, and pornography," according to the affidavit. Police said many of the photos appeared to be "selfies" of female MSU students and that it appeared someone had tried to delete the photos. He solicited nude photos from at least one female student, the affidavit says.
"Also uncovered on Strampel's work computer were pornographic videos and a video of Dr. Larry Nassar performing 'treatment' on a young female patient," the affidavit said.
Original article, Monday night:
There's fresh drama related to Michigan State and its imprisoned serial molester, Larry Nassar.
"Police have arrested William Strampel, the former Michigan State University dean who was Larry Nassar's boss," the Detroit Free Press reports, citing unnamed sources in a position to know.
Strampel, 70, is listed on an Ingham County website as being in the Ingham County Jail. No charge information is listed.
Strampel faces multiple charges. At least one is a felony and others are misdemeanors, sources told the Free Press without specifying what the charges were. Strampel served as dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2002 until December, when he stepped down for medical reasons.
Dr. William Strampel faces charges thatr will be disclosed Tuesday by the state attorney general. (WKAR photo)
Monday's dramatic development, which generates national news coverage, is welcomed by more than 100 women who are suing MSU. One of their lawyers, John Manly of Irvine, Calif., tells AP reporter David Eggert:
"Our clients are encouraged by [Atty. Gen. Bill Schuette's] action today. It demonstrates he is serious about investigating the systemic misconduct at MSU that led to the largest child sex abuse scandal in the history of sports, and holding the responsible parties accountable."
Though he resigned as dean, Dr. Strampel remains on the medical college faculty -- an embarrassment that John Engler, interim MSU president, wants to end. He began steps last month to revoke his tenure and dismiss the physician-educator. MSU won't cover Strampel’s legal bills.
In the new scoop Monday night, David Jesse and Gina Kaufman write:
The arrest comes as the attorney general called a press conference for noon Tuesday.
A press release said Special Prosecutor Bill Forsyth will provide an update on his investigation into MSU at the press conference.
During a 2014 MSU inquiry into female athlete's complaints about inappropriate touching by Nassar, the reporters note, "Strampel . . . voiced his support for Nassar and told Nassar he could return to clinical work before the investigation concluded, according to emails."
When he began dismissal proceedings, Feb 9, Engler said:
“William Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we expect from individuals who hold senior leadership positions, particularly in a position that involves student and patient safety. Further, allegations have arisen that question whether his personal conduct over a long period of time met MSU’s standards."
The last salary figure posted by MSU for Dr. Strampel was $359,626 in 2014.
