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Ex-Penn State president Graham Spanier found guilty of child endangerment
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Ex-Penn State president Graham Spanier was convicted on one count of child endangerment on Friday for his role in the Jerry Sandusky abuse scandal.
Spanier was, however, found not guilty of another child endangerment charge and conspiracy.
According to PennLive.com, Spanier faces “a minimum sentence later this spring that — for most first-time offenders — falls between probation and 9 months in prison, but could range higher.” Spanier was allowed to leave the court room on bail.
The conviction was a result of Spanier’s negligence after former Penn State assistant (then grad assistant) Mike McQueary reported that he saw Sandusky sexually abusing a boy in the shower at Penn State’s facility in 2001.
According to McQueary’s testimony, he told Joe Paterno, who passed the information along to former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and Penn State vice president Gary Schultz. Eventually, Spanier was informed of what McQueary saw, but he did not inform child protective services.
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The prosecution argued that all three ex-Penn State administrators conspired to cover up the actions of Sandusky, who was a long-time Penn State assistant.
Spanier did not testify in his own trial and no witnesses were called to the stand by the defense.
Curley and Schultz both reached plea deals and had their felony child endangerment sentences reduced to misdemeanors earlier in the month. They await their sentences, which the judge said will not be lessened because they struck plea deals.
Sandusky’s actions were not investigated until 2011, which led to his arrest and conviction. Spanier stepped down as president in 2011.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.