DA Who Refused To Prosecute Sandusky In '98 Missing Since '05

I did a search and didn't see that this had been posted yet. Please close if it has.

This entire Penn State/Sandusky debacle is getting more intense as the days go by.

www.wpxi.com...

Ray Gricar disappeared in 2005. Gricar’s car and laptop were found along the Susquehanna River, but police have yet to find the former district attorney.

In 1998, Gricar made the decision not to file charges against Sandusky after a mother told university police Sandusky had inappropriate contact with her 11-year-old son.

Police tried to access Gricar's computer, but the hard drive was destroyed by the water. Last summer, Gricar was declared deceased by the courts. He had never explained his decision not to prosecute Sandusky.

There is also a video included with the article, but I find it strange that this case was not persued more heavily when the man originally came up missing.

Being that I'm originally from Pittsburgh, I've been watching this case closely to see how it's developing.
Football is not just a game and it's appearing that many powerful people have been trying to cover up this scandal for quite some time, which is a complete disgrace to my home town as well as the college and the sport.

Let's hope this comes to a close soon and everyone who deserves punishment gets what's coming to them.

reply to post by Afterthought
[color=7D7D7D]1st: I know practically nothing about this case, or these people.


Is this article implying that the 11 yr. old(who would have been around 18 yrs. old in 2005), is somehow involved in the disappearance? If he was, you would think he would have gone after Sandusky, and not the DA (or both of them).

I just can't think of any reason for connecting those details, unless someone is trying to point the finger towards that other unnamed (possible) victim.

reply to post by BrokenCircles


No. This article is about a boy who was 11 in 1998. As far as I'm aware, this person may or may not be included in the 40 counts Sandusky's facing at the moment. I don't know when the statute of limitations ends in PA, but seeing how many adults were able to press charges against the church for sexual abuses when they were young, I wouldn't doubt if this person was now in on the current charges.

There's also rumors that the main kid in the current investigation told his dad to talk to Paterno before the police because he thought that Paterno would fix everything. They're still trying to figure out if he helped bury these allegations or not.

When there's this many charges pending and so many players involved, it's difficult to keep up. If I'm wrong about anything I've stated above, I apologize.

I'm from Harrisburg, PA - and I can tell you - this is truly being taken to heart and is such a sad state of affairs. While Sandusky's guilt is not the question - some are preparing to lynch the one man who has maintained integrity and a high set of morales his entire lifetime - JopPa. I am anxious for him to get his entire story out into the public before the media has a chance to further destory this man's career.....I hope that Sandusky receives the punishment due him along with others who may have covered this entire situation up. Most of all - I hope the victims receive retribution and are not lost in the media hoopla..this is, after all, about them.

reply to post by whos2know


Hello, fellow Pennsylvanian!

I know what you mean about Paterno. He has always kept such a high moral standard and acquired so much respect from everyone. I hope and prey he had no involvement in this.

reply to [uwww.abovetopsecret.com...]post by Afterthought[/url]


Hello AfterThought! I think there will be NO worries with regards to JopPa's integrity...unfortunately, it all needs to be brought out into the open. My only question to JopPa is this....if, when you physically saw the abuse and reported it - did you continue any type of personal contact with him - other than football - once this happened? I'm confident (well, mostly confident) that his answer would be an emphatic NO. He is highly revered and dearly loved in this region and I for one, would be disheartened to learn that he continued a "friendship" on a personal level with him outside of the sport.....but...whos to know. We shall see.

reply to post by whos2know


I agree and will be hoping right along with you. I almost have the feeling that the Steelers lost to the Ravens on Sunday because of all of this. I'm sure it's weighing on many people's minds right now.

I'm honestly surprised that anyone could do something so horrible in such a powerful position as Sandusky held and be able to get away with their skin on in PA -- if you know what I mean.
Just look at what happened to this DA.

I love how people assume someone has integrity because of wins, its like some sadistic brainwashing that has created a nation of ASSumers with a little con in there as well. Wake up folks, stop putting people up on pedestals, especially old withered ones with zero integrity, heart or compassion. Goodbye happy valley, i knew u were fake all along.

reply to post by RedbeardedFoo


It's not due to the amount of wins Paterno had. Please do your research on him and who he is as a person.
Sandusky on the other hand....

reply to post by RedbeardedFoo


Really? You're going to slap an insult like that on a page without even asking first if that is in fact why? Wow. Speaks volumes. So as not to derail this - let's just say Mr. Paterno has situated himself throughout his entire career/life as a decent man with high morale context....of which he expects of his family, players and students to strive for. I could care less about football...it's about the man and the example he has set, not the number of wins he brings home. Good grief. Morales and integrity are what is missing in SANDUSKY'S life...not Mr. Paterno's.

reply to post by Afterthought

No. This article is about a boy who was 11 in 1998.

Right, and in 2005, he would have been around 18 yrs. old.

That article just seems strange to me. They are only giving this 1 connection as a possible reason for the disappearance of this DA. The fact that he was a DA, makes it safe to assume that he probably pissed off a lot of people over the years.

The timing of it all just seems odd. He's been missing for 6 years. That's a long time to be missing. Also the only detail they are giving as an implied possible connection to the disappearance, is something that he didn't do, from 7 years earlier.

I don't know when the statute of limitations ends in PA.

In the article you posted in the OP, it said 8 victims. According to this one, another has recently came forward. I am not familiar with the source, but maybe you are.

WHPTV

A ninth victim has come forward in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. As the list grows, some are wondering if there will be any limitations on the time in which the alleged abuse happened that will make it difficult to prosecute the crimes.

It looks like the law in Pennsylvania won't pose any problems when it comes to prosecuting these crimes, even though some of them happened at least a decade ago.

I'm not exactly sure what this next/last comment means, other than generally saying that the statute of limitations will not be a factor.

In 2007, the law was changed, basically stating that crimes that were within the statute of limitations at that time could still be reported until someone's fiftieth birthday.

reply to post by BrokenCircles


I see what you meant now. Sorry about not getting you the first time.
It's true that many prosecutors have lots of enemies, but I'm still surprised that this case was allowed to grow cold. (Heck, in my county, I have the same name as the DA. I'd hate to be mistaken for this person!)

Thanks for adding the additional info. Especially about the change in the law regarding the statute of limitations. That's certainly good news for many people who were sexually abused as children and were too afraid to come forward then. The only problem is the burdon of evidence after so many years.

PA is an interesting place. My uncle had some interesting friends. I wouldn't put it past certain people to take the law into their own hands. Particularly in the instance when justice wasn't served by the people who are supposed to see it done properly and chose not to prosecute a child molester.

What's going to happen? What are the outcomes going to be? Your guess is as good as mine.

Never underestimate the power and influence that is intertwined with Division I NCAA sports especially football and basketball. This is certainly an unusual case that raises many questions and with such a sizable almuni base at Penn State it could be anyone's guess... Perhaps the threat of a collapsed legendary team and coach was a motivator here.

Certainly a case to follow. Bye Bye Joe Pa... It happens to the best of them in one way or another. The dust still hasn't settled in Columbus with the departure of Trestle and willful ingorance of a bigger problem. Sadly, Paterno's deliberate ignorance in this case is far far worse than what Trestle did. Don't know how Paterno can even look at himself in the mirror.

reply to post by Afterthought

I see what you meant now. Sorry about not getting you the first time.

No problem. I was just trying to look at that, as if I was that 11 yr. old victim. Depending on exactly what happened, it could be very difficult to shake off the memory. Several years later, older, bigger....... Well, actually this old saying could be appropriate for the situation:
[color=EDB76F]Revenge is a dish that's best served cold.

It's true that many prosecutors have lots of enemies, but I'm still surprised that this case was allowed to grow cold.

That was part of the reason that the article seemed odd to me. It seems that they mentioned the disappearance of that DA, only because of the current ongoing case, but why now?
This part also: (from the last paragraph of the link you first posted)

Last summer, Gricar was declared deceased by the courts.

but why? Shouldn't there be a reason for the courts to officially claim deceased?

I don't know. Like I said in my first post, I don't know much at all about this case, but some of the details just don't seem right. I suppose that is probably why it was intriguing to me.

PA is an interesting place......I wouldn't put it past certain people to take the law into their own hands.

I've only been in that state twice. Just traveling through (both ways). One thing I remember was that there did seem to be quite a bit of somewhat remote wilderness, which could be beneficial for certain things.....

reply to post by BrokenCircles


Missing persons can be legally declared dead for various reasons after so many years. Anything from simple closure for the families to Social Security benefits for dependents, personal property etc.

Maybe more information will come to light now that this case has been busted wide open. Perhaps memories will be refreshed and someone with info. may feel safer coming forward.

reply to post by BrokenCircles


We're certainly thinking along the same lines. Yes. There is a lot of wilderness in PA. Certainly not a place where you'd want to get lost or find yourself with the wrong company. I could only imagine if I were in that kid's situation and the justice department had failed me. Sometimes you do have to enact your own justice. I'm not accusing the kid, but one just has to wonder. I've heard enough stories from believable sources to know that there's plenty of nefarious people who are more than happy to serve a cold dish to some even badder people.

There was just a case in Florida where the police chief ordered a child sexual abuse case closed to protect his buddy. He now has to spend 1 year in jail (big whoop!) and serve (I believe) 3 years probation. He was originally facing 30 years in prison. Many people here are truly disgusted at the sentence he received. His buddy hasn't gone to trial yet, but you can bet that all eyes will be watching.

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out. I just hope that they get all the people who are guilty and that no innocents get taken in the process.

reply to post by jibeho
I wasn't sure, but thought that more years needed to pass before an official declaration was made, without actually having any proof. Apparently it's 7 years under normal circumstances, but can be sooner, even if there is still no body.

Under Pennsylvania law, a missing person can be presumed dead after seven years of unexplained absence. A judge can declare the missing person dead before seven years if presented with sufficient facts and circumstances.

reply to post by Afterthought

Came across a few more interesting details.

Gricar disappeared on April 15, 2005, about [color=BFE3DF]nine months before he was to retire as the central Pennsylvania county's top prosecutor. [color=BFE3DF]He had taken a day off from work and had told his girlfriend that he was going for a drive. His car later was found abandoned.

Ray Gricar's car was found at an antiques market in Lewisburg, near the Susquehanna River, 45 miles from the Centre County seat in Bellefonte. His [color=BFE3DF]laptop was found in the river without its hard drive and was fished out of the river in October 2005.

In the days after Gricar's disappearance, his girlfriend told police [color=BFE3DF]he had discussed buying a program to clean the county-issue hard drive of private information before returning it.

Cumberlink

Everytime I read about such abuse of children being committed by those in high positions and subsequently being covered up by still other people in high positions, I can't help but think of the whole...gees, I don't even know what to refer to it as - but the ring or organization or cult or whatever it actually is that becomes apparent after reading stories like The Franklin Cover Up and The Gosch Kidnapping. That whole thing still creeps me out - yes, I know the "official" finding was that it was a carefully crafted hoax - which anyone with a teaspoonful of sense and rational thinking skills that digs even a tad deeper than the official story knows is absolute BS - but whatever the motivations of the various players in those scandals (or scandal, since it all leads back to the same origin), those and other cases demonstrate there is most definitely a major conspiracy in regards to people in so-called high positions in society that engage in pedophilic acts and make it a club of sorts and protect their fellow pedo buddies.

So back to my first statement, when I hear of a case like this it always makes me wonder if the perps are part of this bigger org/conspiracy/etc and/or if they'll become one of the fall guys or a lone predator that gets busted and smeared all over the news to continue the terror the conspirators instill into the people they compromise to blackmail to sway votes/court cases/investigations/etc. Makes me think Gricar could well have been one of these compromised people "on the payroll" so to speak and that's why he declined to prosecute. Or perhaps he was going to change his mind or reveal something and that's why he's gone. Sure, it's probably far more likely some former conviction enacting revenge, but this IS ATS so I prefer to think it's the conspiracy side of things. :-)

reply to post by BrokenCircles


Good stuff! the fact that someone physically removed the hard drive tells quite a bit when several whacks with a sledgehammer would suffice.

Good catch on the seven years to be declared dead and raises yet another good question. Furthermore, this man was not married so there would be no spouse seeking Social Security benefits either.

I guess only time will tell.

reply to post by newtondkc


I completely agree with you. This case is another example of people who have lots of money who are sick in the head. Just as the other cases you mentioned, this one's tentacles is going to run deep. I just can't argue about Paterno's firing being right or wrong anymore (like what's going on in the other thread). Doing this is playing into their hands by keeping us distracted from the true guilty parties.

Someone killed this DA for reasons most likely attached to this case. Now with the Madden story in regards to Sandusky pimping out kids, this is going to blow another hole in the atmosphere of the planet. I hope each and every person who hurt a child is taken down. Hopefully, this case will blast the doors off any other "charities", schools, pedo/predator rings, etc. that are currently operating. They can't hide forever.