Thursday, March 28, 2024

William Strampel is found guilty of misconduct in office, willful neglect of duty

<p>The MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s former Dean William Strampel (right) on trial on June 4, 2019, at the Ingham Count Circuit Court.</p>

The MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s former Dean William Strampel (right) on trial on June 4, 2019, at the Ingham Count Circuit Court.

Photo by Matt Zubik | The State News

Ex-dean of Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine William Strampel was found guilty of misconduct in the office and on two counts of willful neglect in relation to his role as ex-MSU doctor Larry Nassar's boss Wednesday morning. He was found not guilty of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

After over a week of testimony, Strampel's trial came to a close yesterday with closing statements and today with with the jury determining that he was guilty of three of the four charges against him.

During his trial, witnesses testified that Strampel sexually harassed and assaulted them, made inappropriate comments and abused his power as dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“I hold your entire future in my hands, and I can do with it whatever I want,” Jessica Neuroth — a former student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine — said Strampel told her and a group of students who had failed a class.

Neuroth accused Strampel of groping her during a scholarship banquet and making sexual comments during a private meeting with him.

Other witnesses told similar stories of Strampel making inappropriate and sexual comments during meetings regarding their academic standing in the college.

"He held the power to stop them from becoming a doctor," Assistant Attorney General Danielle Hagaman-Clark said. "These aren't statements that were made to these women at a bar in East Lansing by some guy they met — these statements are made to them by the person who is the dean of their medical school. That's what makes this criminal. And the interpretation."

He was accused of telling students things like "I own you" and "you need to learn to be a submissive woman."

"You've heard one position in this case. Now you're going to hear something else," John Dakmak — Strampel's defense attorney — said during closing arguments. "Conversations and context do not equal corruption, they do not equal criminality. And that is something that you must have in the back of your mind when you're analyzing the evidence in this case."

Strampel retired from his position as dean amid his criminal case in July of 2018.

Stay with The State News for further coverage of the end of Strampel's trial.

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