The former dean, William D. Strampel, was listed on the inmate roster of the county jail in Ingham County, Michigan, on Monday evening. The charges against him were not specified.
Prosecutors are pursuing a sprawling investigation of the university, which began after Nassar, a longtime physician for Michigan State and for USA Gymnastics, admitted that he had sexually abused scores of young women over several years.
Nassar pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison in hearings that drew international attention. Dozens of women, including Olympic gymnasts, described repeated assaults that were committed under the guise of medical care. At least 265 people have said they were abused by Nassar, according to one judge who sentenced him.
Strampel oversaw Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2002 until 2017, a period when much of Nassar’s abuse occurred.
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For years, officials at Michigan State largely dismissed reports that Nassar had assaulted women, even though some women said they had reported the abuse as early as the late 1990s to coaches, trainers or counselors. After facing criticism for her handling of the case, the president of the university, Lou Anna K. Simon, resigned in January.
Though the precise charges against Strampel were not immediately clear, his arrest came about six weeks after Michigan State’s interim president, John Engler, announced that he was trying to revoke Strampel’s tenure, citing allegations about “his personal conduct over a long period of time.”
Strampel’s arrest was applauded Monday by John C. Manly, a lawyer who represents more than 150 women who say they were abused by Nassar.
“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.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
MITCH SMITH © 2018 The New York Times