Former Penn State President Graham Spanier has been granted his request for a modification of his bail conditions, allowing him to now contact any past or current members of the Penn State Board of Trustees, according to court documents filed Friday.
Spanier’s attorneys first filed the request to modify on Jan. 10 after Spanier was barred from contacting any members of the Board of Trustees by Harrisburg District Judge William Wenner on Dec. 28, 2012.
Spanier’s attorneys argued that a restriction on contacting any members of the Board of Trustees violated Spanier’s due process rights, including the right to prepare his defense, according to court documents.
In addition to being allowed to contact any past or current member on the board, Spanier is now allowed to contact any prosecution witness who may be involved with his trial, according to court documents.
Spanier had argued in the Jan. 10 request that he encounters trustees in State College, and that he doesn’t know who the prosecution’s witnesses are, so limiting contact with them would be out of his control.
Penn State spokesman David La Torre and Spanier’s attorney Timothy Lewis had no comment on the court document filed.
Trustee Anthony Lubrano said he found it interesting that the court ruled the way it did in December because the limitations placed on Spanier were too restricted in the first place.
“In this case, due process has run its course and the courts have appropriately decided that Dr. Spanier is allowed to have conversations with other human beings,” Lubrano said. “I’m pleased that the courts have found their way to apply logic to the situation."
The courts also ordered on Dec. 28, 2012 that Spanier was allowed to travel outside of Pennsylvania, but not allowed to travel outside of the United States, as previously reported. The judge ruled Friday that all other terms of the Dec. 28 order would remain in effect.
On Nov. 1, Spanier was charged with perjury, child endangerment, obstruction of justice, failure to report suspected child abuse and criminal conspiracy in relation to the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse case.
Sandusky, the former Penn State defensive coordinator, was convicted in June on 45 counts of child sexual abuse, for which he was sentenced to serve 30 to 60 years in prison.
Spanier was arraigned Nov. 7 and faces the same charges as two other former Penn State administrators, former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Interim Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz, in relation to the Sandusky case.
