Sources: Police arrest Larry Nassar's Michigan State University boss

By David Jesse And Gina Kaufman
Detroit Free Press
March 26, 2018

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/26/larry-nassar-william-strampel-arrest/460785002/

William Strampel

Attorney Shannon Smith stands next to Larry Nassar as he appears in court on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, during a motion hearing at the 55th District Court in Mason. Photo by Julia Nagy

Police have arrested William Strampel, the former Michigan State University dean who was Larry Nassar's boss, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

Strampel, 70, is being held in the Ingham County Jail.

Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth confirmed that Strampel is lodged in the jail, but said information on what charges he is being held on would not be released until he is arraigned. 

Strampel faces multiple charges. At least one is a felony and others are misdemeanors, sources told the Free Press without specifying the charges. Strampel served as dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2002 until December, when he stepped down for medical reasons. 

Nassar, 54, the MSU doctor accused of molesting dozens of female students and athletes, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges and is in custody. He also faces a 40- to 175-year sentence issued in Ingham County and a 40- to 125-year sentence from Eaton County, where he was charged with a total of 10 sexual assaults. Those sentences will not begin until he finishes the federal sentence.

A spokesman for the State Police told the Free Press all questions should be directed to Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's Office. Attorney General spokeswoman Andrea Bitely declined comment Monday night.

Lansing television station WILX broadcast pictures of State Police vehicles outside of Strampel's DeWitt home. 

The arrest comes as the attorney general has called a news conference for noon Tuesday.  A news release said Special Prosecutor Bill Forsyth will provide an update on his investigation into MSU at the news conference. 

Nassar, once a highly regarded MSU osteopathic physician who provided medical care to Olympic athletes and scores of youth gymnasts, is now a convicted felon who is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison for multiple sexual assaults. 

Interim MSU President John Engler started the process in February of stripping Strampel of his tenure and firing him for his failure to enforce special protocols put in place for Nassar following a 2014 sexual assault investigation.

“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,” Engler said in a statement released by the university at the time. “Further, allegations have arisen that question whether his personal conduct over a long period of time met MSU’s standards. We are sending an unmistakable message today that we will remove employees who do not treat students, faculty, staff, or anyone else in our community in an appropriate manner."

The 2014 Title IX investigation has been the focus of much of the criticism directed at MSU over the university's handling of Nassar. Nassar was cleared of policy violations then, in part, based on the opinions of four medical experts who all worked for the university and had close ties to Nassar. 

Strampel apparently responded to the guidance in an MSU investigator's report by creating protocols for Nassar’s return to seeing patients. They included a requirement to wear gloves when performing procedures in intimate areas, to have another person present during such treatments and to explain the procedure and obtain consent before treating patients.

When MSU terminated Nassar in September 2016, one of the reasons was his failure to follow those protocols, although Strampel himself later acknowledged that he had not tried to enforce them after the Title IX review concluded there was no violation of university policy.

Strampel regularly checked in on the status of the investigation when it was ongoing, voiced his support for Nassar and told Nassar he could return to clinical work before the investigation concluded, according to e-mails. It's not clear whether Nassar did so. 

An attorney representing more than 150 Nassar survivors praised the move.

“Our clients are encouraged by the Attorney General’s action today,” attorney John Manly said in a statement. “It demonstrates that he is serious about investigating the systemic misconduct at MSU that led to the largest child sex abuse scandal in history and holding the responsible parties accountable.”