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Victim 1 transfers from school following recent harassment
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The boy identified as "Victim 1" in the Jerry Sandusky grand jury presentment, now a teenager, last week switched schools after he was harassed by fellow students following Joe Paterno's dismissal as head football coach at Penn State University.
Previously a student at Central Mountain High School in Clinton County, the boy decided to transfer after students at the Clinton County school began making inappropriate comments to him, a person close to the case said on Wednesday.
The transfer likely also was precipitated by the recent firing of the boy's track coach, with whom he had a close relationship.
Thom Hunter said he was let go after school officials found out that he was Facebook friends with several members of the team, including Victim 1.
Mr. Hunter, who started coaching the boy in March 2009, said after the news of Mr. Sandusky's arrest, the boy told his friends that he was "Victim 1."
"He was having a tough time with the media pressure, the kids at school were bullying him and he would leave school," Mr. Hunter wrote in an emailed response to questions. "It must have been rough, because he is such a strong kid, and never let kids bother him before."
Although he has switched schools, the boy is still expected to run with his former team, Mr. Hunter said.
"He is grateful to have a great group of kids around him to support him," he said.
The charges against Mr. Sandusky became public on Nov. 5 after a grand jury presentment was returned against him.
In addition, two former administrators at Penn State, athletic director Tim Curley and senior vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, were charged with perjury and failure to report an incident of child abuse.
Days later, Mr. Paterno was fired, University President Graham Spanier resigned and the entire Penn State community has come under fire.
Penn State's Board of Trustees this week announced that former FBI Director Louis Freeh will lead an investigation into what happened.
According to the grand jury presentment, school officials became aware of sexual assault allegations made by Victim 1 about Mr. Sandusky when the boy's mother reported it to them.
Both she and school officials then reported the alleged abuse to Clinton County Children & Youth Services in November 2008.
In the months after, the case was referred from Clinton County to Centre, where the alleged abuse occurred, and then ultimately to the state attorney general's office, after it was determined that then-Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira had a conflict of interest. His wife is the biological sister of one of Mr. Sandusky's adopted sons.
The referral to the attorney general's office came in March 2009. Testimony by the investigating grand jury occurred over a period of several months.
First Published November 24, 2011 12:00 am
