Opening statements and first witnesses were called today in the criminal trial of William Strampel, the former dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University.
Leah Jackson is an M-S-U medical student. She says she went to see then Dean Strampel when she’d failed required tests to continue on in medical school. She says their conversation quickly turned to Strampel making inappropriate and sexualized comments. Jackson says she was blindsided.
“I really was just, ‘is this really what’s happening?’ You know. I got – I was scared.”
Strampel’s attorney John Dakmak says the comments were taken out of context.
Strampel is accused of misusing his public office. He’s also charged with failing to properly oversee Larry Nassar after an internal investigation. Nassar was convicted of sexually assaulting his patients for years.