Ex-MSU President Lou Anna Simon charged with lying to police amid Nassar investigation
By Lauren Gibbons
Updated 3:20 PM; Posted 2:56 PM
Former Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon has been charged with lying to police, the latest charges to come from a state investigation into the university following the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
Simon has been charged in Eaton County District Court on two felony and two misdemeanor counts of lying to a peace officer. An arraignment date has not yet been set, per a court administrator.
The warrant issued by the Attorney General's office states Simon told investigators she was unaware of any specific investigations into Nassar prior to 2016 "when in fact she knew it was Larry Nassar who was the subject of the 2014 MSU Title IX investigation."
A spokesperson for the Attorney General's office declined to comment further.
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https://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/11/ex-msu_president_lou_anna_simo_1.html
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The timing of this indictment is certainly interesting. I can't help but think this had a lot to to do with Schuette running for Governor, and all of us Michiganders know how much ol' Bill loves to grandstand. And even though I will be for first person to criticize MSU's deplorable non-handling of the entire Nasser debacle, this seems politically motivated. This letter in response to the article sums up my thoughts:
Please pause with me a moment, no matter what you think about Simon, to consider the charges.
Lying to the police generally has a fairly high bar, and generally is only a misdemeanor.
The only felony lying charge clearly outlined in the MCL has to do with the false report of a felony. This historically has only been used for completely false serious crime reports (fake arsons, Swatting calls, false reports of a rape, etc).
The general run of the mill false statements to police, the ones made daily to hamper investigations, are rarely prosecuted. When prosecuted they are of the misdemeanor “false information to the police” category.
Think for a moment how often crime investigations in our cities are coupled with non cooperative and deceitful witnesses. It’s all the time.
Since when did all those shifty statements become felonies?
I understand this is a high profile case. However, the prosecutorial overreach is clear. Is this the new standard we all really want when people are talking to the police?
The FBI uses a federal law like this. I’d never advise anyone to talk to them — misstatements can become felonies. I’m hoping we don’t burn the bridge of trust our local police enjoy.
Actions like this feel good, but have some real possible problems lurking underneath.
