Town That Was Shaken By Jerry Sandusky Scandal Welcomes Ted Rollins And His Past As Child Abuser

Ted Rollins (right) with Copper Beech
founder Jack McWhirter at
Penn State 

You might think that residents of State College, Pennsylvania, would be hyper vigilant about anyone with a history as a child abuser entering their environs. After all, State College was the site of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, with the former Penn State assistant football coach at the heart of perhaps the most notorious child sexual abuse case in modern U.S. history.

So why are State College and the massive university in its midst throwing out the welcome mat for Ted Rollins, the CEO who has a documented history of being a child abuser? Rollins and his Charlotte-based company, Campus Crest Communities, are set to open The Grove at State College, which is one of about 40 such student-housing complexes the company has built around the country.

On top of that, Campus Crest announced earlier this year the purchase of Copper Beech Townhome Communities, which has been a major player in the student-housing sector for 20 years. Copper Beech just happens to be based in State College, PA, and its founders, John and Jeannette McWhirter, are among Penn State's largest donors in recent years.

It's likely that many residents of State College would not recognize the name Ted Rollins. And they almost certainly know little or nothing about his background. But the man--and his ugly history as a child abuser--now have a major presence in the town where Jerry Sandusky conducted his dirty work.

All of this came front and center last Friday when Penn State announced that it has reached tentative agreements to pay out millions of dollars to victims in the Sandusky case. From a report at espn.com:

Penn State could soon be paying out millions of dollars to victims of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky after disclosing Friday it had tentative agreements with some of the young men who say he sexually abused them.

The school does not plan to comment on specifics until the deals are made final, which could happen in the coming weeks. University president Rodney Erickson called getting approval for settlement offers "another important step toward the resolution of claims from Sandusky's victims."

Penn State is working "toward the resolution" of the horrific Sandusky scandal, but at the same time, it is welcoming a student-housing company that is led by a man who is a proven child abuser. Last week's announcement about settlements in the Sandusky case came one month before The Grove at State College is to open in August for the start of the 2013-14 academic year. And it came roughly four months after Campus Crest announced its acquisition of Copper Beech.

Do residents of State College, and officials at Penn State, recognize the irony in this flurry of activity? It's possible that they simply are ignorant about Ted Rollins' background, but it is hardly a secret. We've written about it extensively here at Legal Schnauzer, and our reports have been picked up at a number of national Web sites.

Here are just a few of the posts we've written about Ted Rollins' record as a child abuser:

Campus Crest CEO Ted Rollins Once Beat His Stepson To A Bloody Pulp (April 17, 2012)

Campus Crest Communities CEO Ted Rollins Has A Conviction For Assault In His Background (May 2, 2012)

How Was Campus Crest CEO Ted Rollins Convicted Of "Simple Assault" In North Carolina? (May 10, 2012)

For the record, the Ted Rollins story does not end with the mere physical abuse of his stepson. He also was investigated for child sexual abuse, based on a report from an anonymous citizen. Here are some of our posts on that subject:

Campus Crest Communities CEO Ted Rollins Was Investigated For The Sexual Abuse Of His Stepson (September 12, 2012)

Towels Soiled With Feces Point To Child Sexual Abuse Involving CEO Ted Rollins (September 13, 2012)

The bottom line? A state investigation in North Carolina led to no action against Ted Rollins. No steps were taken to protect his apparent victim. 

Residents of State College, PA, and supporters of Penn State should be familiar with that kind of story. Jerry Sandusky first was investigated for inappropriate conduct with a child in 1998, but nothing came of it. More than 13 years passed, with an untold number of additional victims, before Sandusky finally was held accountable.

Some of the evidence against Ted Rollins can be viewed in black and white, as in the following court documents from Franklin County, North Carolina. Perhaps Penn State officials should become familiar with them.

(To be continued)

Ted Rollins Arrested for Assault by Roger Shuler
Ted Rollins Convicted of Assault by Roger Shuler