By Ray Blehar
NOVEMBER 10, 2012, PITTSBURGH, PA: During the panel discussion at Franco's Town Hall, long time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter, Gene Collier, admitted that CYS and DPW failed in 1998. The discussion followed presentations by Eileen Morgan and this writer, who covered the 1998 incident from a legal and evidentiary basis and in terms of investigative quality, respectively.
"We've seen tons of convincing evidence here about the Centre County child youth services office, the Department of Public Welfare -- they're all part of the culture that doesn't want to find things out about someone like Jerry Sandusky," said Gene Collier.
Panelist Bob Dvorchak, co-author of Game Over, stated, "These are the kind of crimes that are invisible. They happen right in front of you and you don't see them. These people operate in secrecy. They project an image, a personality, whatever you call it, it's a perfect cover. They're camoflaged. Sandusky was a saint. He was the male Mother Theresa of Central Pennsylvania until we found out he wasn't." Quite an ironic statement considering Game Over was about the culture at Penn State and the alleged cover-up.
In response to John Ziegler's remark that media was promoting a false narrative, Collier stated, "You're very anxious to show the failings of DPW, CCYS....and they should be. They should be held to the fire because they failed these kids."
Panelist Rob Tribeck, a PSU graduate and attorney associated with PS4RS said, "What we're saying is the the trained professionals failed these kids - what about the people at Second Mile?"
Collier replied, "I agree with that."
Tribeck added, "The very people who are trained to investigate these kinds of people, investigated this in 1998 and let them walk out the door." He asked, "How is that not the story here?"
PSU Board of Trustee member, Anthony Lubrano, stated "we (Penn State) are the lead, and we're going to take it to a level that has never been before seen and, at some point, we are going to be very proud of that accomplishment....but we want to know what happened, how did it happen? An inflammatory grand jury presentment that we know now was untrue and borders on prosecutorial misconduct? An organization responsible for the safety of these young children -- how are they not being held responsible. Public organizations like child youth services and DPW, why aren't they being held responsible? Why is it all Penn State?
Writers Weigh In on NCAA Sanctions
As the topic turned to the NCAA sanctions, Gene Collier opined, "Regarding the NCAA sanctions, the columns I've written on this are at odds with the original columns" that called for the suspension of Penn State football. I think the NCAA sanctions are psychotic.""They pull out this sixty million dollar figure from the air, why not a billion? Mark Emmert said that he admires the Freeh Report. They vacate wins, Joe Paterno wins, back to 1998 when I think most of us would agree that 25 percent of Joe's wins or more were achieved against schools that were cheating like hell. This is the NCAA overlooking itself and saying Penn State is dirty. I mean it's preposterous."
Bob Dvorchak, stated, in response to a question on vacating Joe's wins: "I can't speak for the NCAA. I've heard their reasons and much as you have. I think they picked '98 because that is when an investigation was first done. How can vacating the victories of a coach or the players on the field helped to relieve to resolve this issue - I'm still at a loss to explain that."
Collier later stated, "I don't think the football program gave Jerry Sandusky unfettered access to the university. I think Old Main did that. So I think it's still a Penn State scandal."
But not a Penn State football or athletics scandal.
DON'T FORGET TOM CORBETT'S ROLE IN ALL OF THIS.
ReplyDeleteWe must never forget Tom Corbett's many transgressions against public decency and competency in public office, not nearly limited to this debacle!
DeleteHow does giving Sandusky unfettered access to the university make it a Penn State scandal? They admit that Sandusky was thought to be "the male Mother Teresa" so what would be the rationale for NOT granting him access to the facilities? Old Main allowed the founder of a charity for underprivileged children to bring those children onto the campus of a world class university for free? Bring out the pitchforks.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a preposterous assertion. It is ACCESS TO CHILDREN, not access to buildings, that enables the pedophile to commit the acts of abuse.
DeleteIt's pretty fundamental. If Sandusky had not founded Second Mile and got people used to him being around kids, he would have never been able to pull off the crimes.
Franco said it best, "He groomed the whole town."
Absolutely right Ray. Why no one is looking at Jerry's ACCESS to the kids is mind blowing. Well, not really when you consider who botched the investigation and gave Jerry and the 2nd Mile a free pass. That would be DPW, who also signed off on Jerry being a foster parent and the agency who ignored evidence. Let's also not forget that Joe said it first, Jerry fooled everyone including the trained professionals. And a football coach should have done more?
DeleteExactly, also in 2001, everyone either forgets that Curley told Raykowitz about the McQuery incident or they just assume Curley gave Raykowitz a completely watered down version of McQuery's story. There is no evidence that Curley didn't tell Raykowtz exactly what he heard. Say what you want about how Tim Curley handled the situation, but he did tell the man who was giving Sandusky access to the kids that this man was behaving inappropriately. Why Raykowitz has no been charged baffles me. They have more evidence to get him than they do Spanier.
DeleteYou haven't read the Grand Jury presentment against Spanier yet, have you? http://www.dauphincounty.org/government/Court-Departments/Curley-Schultz-Spanier/Pages/Spanier.aspx
DeleteThese are ordinary people, like you and me, making the case for the Penn State scandal.
You may as well have read the Freeh Report, because that is what the presentment reads like....and it's about as accurate as the Freeh Report.
DeleteFor example, the AG attributes the note "Are we opening Pandora's Box? Other children" coming from Gary Schultz. Yes, we know Schultz wrote it, but who said it? Well, that statement could have originated with John Miller, Detective Schreffler, Tom Harmon, or Gary.
There are a lot of evidentiary leaps in the report....and like Freeh's report, the attorney's for Spanier, Schultz, and Curley will use the e-mail evidence and Pa 055 Section 3490 to completely demolish the "Conspiracy of Silence" farce. Yes, they were silent in 1998 -- because, under the law, Spanier and Curley weren't permitted to know about a child abuse investigation.
This is theatre on the AG's part. She knows the law. She knows what the men were allowed to know -- and she hasn't ever mentioned that law once. And, BTW, the OAG knows a lot more about who knew what in 2001, but those facts would ruin their Penn State football conspiracy.
The conclusions drawn by Collier are incorrect..... the failure to identify Sandusky was not on Centre County Children and Youth Services......Centre County C&Y more-or-less recused themselves from the 1998 investigation..... according to the Freeh Report itself, the 1998 investigation was run by PA Department of Public Welfare.......
ReplyDeleteBut Miller, from Centre County CYS, was involved in setting up the Seasock interview with the victim. Miller remained involved even after DPW got the case. Why? Who told him to set up the interview?
DeleteAccording to the police report, DPW asked CYS (Miller) to find someone to conduct a second evaluation of the child. DPW did this over the objections of ADA Karen Arnold and the PSU police, who specifically said they did not want any more evaluations of the child.
Deleterbm,
ReplyDeleteActually, CYS had a major role in derailing the investigation. They brought in the unlicensed counselor, John Seasock, to do the second evaluation of Victim 6. Moreover, they had Seasock visit the mother of Victim 6 to tell her that Sandusky phoning her son frequently was a normal thing.
And, FYI, CYS was involved in the investigation for the interviews of both children. They knew about Sandusky's abuse.
Oooh, I see the problem. You got your information from the Freeh Report. The Freeh Report left out most of the incriminating stuff about CYS and DPW. Read the police report, Schultz's notes at 2H and 2I(which Freeh downplayed), and Chambers' psych report. Then you'll understand more about 1998.
Collier got to see all that information at Franco's Town Hall. He's not incorrect in the least.
Very interesting stuff. It will be a long, slow and arduous process, but the world will eventually see things as they should be seen. This is one of many steps in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!!! You are all delusional because you are "fans"!!! The COVERUP was the Penn State scandal. Actively deciding NOT to report the first and 2001 incidents to anyone in authority was the scandal. Joe Pa squelching the plan to report it is the problem.
ReplyDeleteANd yes - a footbal caoch should have done more. Nice try with he doddering old fool defense orthe he was only the football coach defense. You Are. Part of the Problem.
I guess no one will approve my comments becuase they didn't agree with the delusional gist of these replies. That pretty much sums it up - everyone has their opinion so there is no real discussion GOOD DEEDS DO NOT CANCEL OUT BAD BAD THINGS A PERSON DOES.
ReplyDeleteWho, specifically, decided to engage Seasock and who, specifically withheld Chambers' notes from the district attorney?
ReplyDeleteChambers report was attached to the police report. It was not withheld from the DA.
DeleteJerry Lauro, the DPW investigator, stated he did not have enough to indicate a finding of abuse. As such, DA Gricar had no choice about bringing charges because the defense would simply call in Lauro as their witness.
However, the lingering issue is that the child's mother identified other potential victims, but DPW never sought those children out. In fact, DPW decided to "resolve the matter quickly" on May 13, 1998 -- ten days into the investigation.