Former Michigan State University president Lou Anna Simon was arraigned Monday in Eaton County District Court on charges that she lied to police in the Larry Nassar investigation.
Prosecutors say Simon falsely told police she did not know a 2014 Title IX investigation involved Nassar or involved a claim of sexual assault. She is charged with 4 counts of lying to a peace officer, 2 felonies and 2 high court misdemeanors. Simon was released on a personal recognizance bond and is due back in court for a hearing on December 18. She faces up to 4 years in prison if convicted.
The 2014 investigation started when Amanda Tomashow reported Nassar for sexual assault during a medical exam. Title IX investigators determined Tomashow misinterpreted a legitimate medical procedure. MSU police forwarded their report to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office. The office, run by then-prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, chose not to file charges.
Simon was questioned about the 2014 investigation at Michigan State Police headquarters in Windsor Township on May 1. That date is listed as the date of the offense on the warrant.
One Simon's attorneys tells News 10 the only crime committed was by the prosecution. He said the charges are political and untrue and that prosecutors will pay for it.
Simon resigned at MSU president in January. She is still a member of the faculty. Michigan State says Simon is on an unpaid leave of absence while she focuses on her legal situation.
Simon is the third former leader at MSU to be charged in the Nassar investigation. Former gymnastics coach Kathie Klages is also charged with lying to police. Former College of Osteopathic Medicine dean William Strampel, Nassar's former boss, is facing several misconduct charges related to sexual harassment claims made by students. Nassar is serving what amounts to life in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges in federal court and sexual assault in Ingham and Eaton County.
FOX 47 and fox47news.com will continue to keep you updated as the investigation into the Nassar scandal continues.
