Investigators looking into the sexual assault case involving former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky are asking anyone who was sexually assaulted to step forward and talk to police.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly made the plea two days after child sexual abuse charges were filed against Sandusky. Athletic Director Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, the school's senior vice president for business and finance, are also under investigation for allegedly knowing about at least one incident and not reporting it to police.
Schultz and Curley made their first court appearances on Monday afternoon in Harrisburg. They weren't required to enter pleas. Each was released on $75,000 bail. Lawyers for the 57-year-old Curley and 62-year-old Schultz will seek to have the charges dismissed.
Yesterday, Penn State University President Graham Spanier announced that the two men would be leaving their posts. Curley requested to be placed on administrative leave so that he could devote time to his defense. Schultz will be going back into retirement. Lawyers for the two men say they will fight the charges.
Kelly said that she thinks she will be able to get a conviction because state law makes it clear that the administrators who had information about such an assault were required to come forward.
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is not a target of the investigation, but he has given testimony to the grand jury, according to Kelly.
Pennsylvania State police Commissioner Frank Noonan said that he is relieved that the case is finally being made known to the public. "It is very troubling. This whole case is — has been troubling me for two years, and keeping quiet about it has been troubling me for two years. So I'm glad that people know now … they're innocent until proven guilty … but at least now there's not this cover of secrecy … that's what's oppressive. Who's going to believe them [the victims]? Nobody."
Sandusky was arrested Saturday on charges that he preyed on boys that he met through the Second Mile, a charity he founded for at-risk youths. The charity said in a statement released on Sunday that Sandusky has had no involvement with its programs involving children since 2008, when Sandusky told the foundation that he was being investigated on child-sex allegations.
Both Kelly and Noonan said that they believe more victims will come forward given all the publicity surrounding the case.
