Larry Nassar’s Former Boss Was Arrested On Several Sexual Misconduct Charges

Two months after USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar was charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct, the man who supervised Nassar at MSU, former dean William Strampel, has been arrested, according to the Detroit Free Press. He's now facing criminal charges for allegedly inappropriately touching a student and storing nude photos of female students on his work computer — as well as an allegation that he failed to act when confronted with complaints about Nassar, the Chicago Tribune reported. Bustle has reached out to Strampel's attorney for comment.

Strampel, who was dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine for a majority of the time Nassar practiced there, has been charged with one felony and three misdemeanors, including a high-court misdemeanor, which falls between a misdemeanor and a felony. His alleged crimes include fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, neglect of duty, and misconduct of a public official. He is due to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon, according to the Tribune.

Officials will provide an update regarding the Michigan Attorney General's office's ongoing investigation into MSU and the potential role some administrators could've played at noon on Tuesday.

Nassar has been sentenced to 40 to 125 years in jail for crimes including sexual misconduct and possession of child pornography. He's currently serving his time in a federal prison in Arizona, according to CNN. He practiced sports medicine under Strampel for years, before the dean stepped down from his managerial position late last year for medical reasons, NBC reported.

Strampel has been a focus of the Michigan Attorney General's investigation since the beginning, according to the Tribune. An attorney representing the more than 150 girls who accused Nassar of sexual misconduct, John Manly, said his clients were "encouraged" by Strampel's arrest.

"Our clients are encouraged by the Attorney General's action today," 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."

A few weeks ago, MSU's new interim president, John Engler — who took over after former president Lou Anna Simon stepped down following Nassar's arrest — announced he was panning to revoke Strampel's tenure, allowing him to be terminated, according to NBC. While Strampel had stepped down in December, he was planning on remaining a faculty member.

"William Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we expect from individuals who hold senior leadership positions," Engler said in a statement last month, "particularly in a position that involves student and patient safety."

In a court affidavit put together by Michigan State Police Lt. Ryan Pennell, Strampel is being accused of sexual misconduct by four women, one of whom said she “was not surprised Nassar had been able to victimize so many women under the supervision of Strampel," according to the Detroit News. His accusers claim he used his MSU office to harass, discriminate, demean, proposition, and sexually assault them. Officials also say they discovered pornographic videos on Strampel's office computer, in addition to a video of Nassar sexual assaulting a young female patient.

For the felony charge — misconduct by a public official — Strampel faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the Detroit News reported. Strampel's attorney, John Dakmak, hasn't released a statement on his client's behalf, but told the publication, “We don’t know what’s going on completely yet."

MSU said in a statement that it "has been and will continue to cooperate with any on-going investigations" concerning Nassar and the university. "One of the first actions Interim President John Engler did when taking office was to initiate internal processes to remove William Strampel from his position at the university and strip his tenure," MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said.

According to an investigation by the Detroit News, Strampel is just one of 14 staff members at MSU who were aware of sexual misconduct complaints lodged against Nassar over his more than 20-year career at the school.