Granger to get plea bargain in rape case

From staff and wire reports

Daniel Granger, the 1998 Grosse Pointe North High School graduate whose admission to the University was suspended following statutory rape allegations, filed a plea bargain Thursday that will put him in jail for 90 to 180 days.

The agreement means Granger, who was charged this summer of having sex with three 14-year-old girls, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of conspiracy to contribute to the delinquency of a minor.

After receiving information regarding the plea bargain, University administrators said they were uncertain whether this latest development would affect Granger's admissions status.

In an August 1 letter, Provost Nancy Cantor informed Granger his matriculation would be delayed until winter term pending a full admissions committee review.

Granger's jail time may influence the status of his admission, said Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford.

"Depending on when those days (in jail) start, it is questionable whether he'd even be out of jail when winter term started," Hartford said.

The admissions investigation, headed by Associate Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs Lester Monts, is scheduled to be completed before the start of winter term.

Hartford said it is "hard to tell" if the plea bargain - which will keep Granger out of prison and off the state's sex offender list - will hinder the investigation.

"On one level, the plea bargain means he admits to doing wrong," Hartford said.

Granger must spell out - in cooperation with the plea deal in court - what he did that constitutes a crime. But Granger's lawyer William Bufalino II told the Detroit Free Press the plea will not contradict Granger's only public comment on the charges.

"I can assure you that I am innocent of the charges," Granger said in his statement.

Bufalino said he hopes the plea bargain will increase Granger's chances of attending the school of his choice.

It is also uncertain, Hartford said, whether Granger's time in jail could be considered a violation of the Code of Student Conduct. For a student to be charged under the Code, the incident must have occurred within six months of when the University files a Code violation.

Granger allegedly had sex with the girls in December and January.

The Code of Student Conduct outlines the behaviors the University finds to be illegal or unacceptable and can enforce punishments as severe as expulsion.

Esrold Nurse, a member of Granger's admissions investigation committee, said he could not comment on the effect the plea bargain would have because he "had not seen the information."

Nurse, the assistant dean of LSA student academic affairs, said that up until this point, the admissions investigation was making steady progress.

"We're moving ahead," Nurse said. "We'd like to wrap it up sooner rather than later. It's going along at deliberate speed."

Granger has been charged with three counts of third degree criminal sexual conduct. Three others charged with Granger will be tried Oct. 14 at Wayne County Circuit Courthouse - Robert Cooper on two counts, and Daniel Raymond and James Raymond on one count.

09-21-98