Prosecutors: Penn State Sexual Abuse Case Could Grow

Pennsylvania’s attorney general isn’t ruling out the possibility that the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked Pennsylvania State University won’t balloon to include additional charges or the discovery of more victims.

During an afternoon press conference to discuss the scandal that has embroiled the university and its football team since it first came to light over the weekend, AG Linda Kelly urged anyone with knowledge of potential sexual misconduct by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky to come forward. The former Penn State defensive coordinator has been charged with 40 counts related to the sexual abuse of boys.

Earlier Monday, Penn State announced that athletic director Tim Curley and school administrator Gary Schultz—who were charged Saturday with perjury and failure to report to authorities what they knew of the allegations—will step down. Curley will go on administrative leave, while Schultz will retire.

Prosecutors declined to offer many specifics of the allegations due to the ongoing investigation, but said that only six of Sandusky's eight alleged victims have been identified so far. Though she did not speculate about additional victims, Kelly did stress that there is a long statute of limitations for child abuse cases, meaning that Sandusky could still be charged for previous crimes that may not have yet been reported.

"I have never been involved with a case like this where police weren't called," police investigator Frank Noonan said at the press conference. "This is not a case about football or universities. It's about children having innocence stolen and lack of action being taken."

Longtime head football coach Joe Paterno has also become embroiled in the scandal after it was revealed that a graduate student told Paterno in 2002 that he saw Sandusky sodomizing a young boy in the shower, CBS News reports. Prosecutors say Paterno reported the abuse to Curley but did not actually call the police. Kelly said on Monday that Paterno is not a "target" of the investigation. 

Sandusky, 67, worked as a defensive coordinator for Penn State until 1999 before going to work for the nonprofit organization he founded, called Second Mile, which works with at-risk youth. The alleged sexual abuse reportedly occurred from 1994 to 2009, with some incidents occurring in the campus football building. Sandusky was arraigned Saturday on 40 criminal charges ranging from inappropriate touching to statutory rape. He was soon released on $100,000 bail.

According to the Associated Press, Kelly called Sandusky "a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys.” A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, though Sandusky’s attorney says the proceeding will likely be delayed.