Court Dismisses Some Criminal Charges Against Ex-President of Penn State

A Pennsylvania appeals court has thrown out charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy against Pennsylvania State University’s former president, Graham B. Spanier, involving his role in the Sandusky child-sex-abuse case.

The Associated Press reports that a three-judge panel on Friday ruled that Cynthia Baldwin, the university’s general counsel at the time of the scandal, should not have been allowed to testify before a grand jury against Mr. Spanier and two other administrators facing criminal charges.

The court also threw out similar charges facing a former vice president, Gary C. Schultz, and a former athletic director, Timothy M. Curley, the AP reports.

Mr. Spanier and the other former administrators are still charged with failure to report suspected abuse and endangering the welfare of children. The AP reports that it was not immediately clear whether conspiracy charges against the three had been thrown out completely.

Mr. Spanier was criminally charged in the case in 2012, with prosecutors saying he had conspired to cover up allegations of child abuse against Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted that year of 45 counts of molestation.