According to reports, police in Meridian Township, Michigan, will apologize to Brianne Randall-Gay, who was 17 years old when she filed a report claiming Larry Nasser sexually abused her during an examination.
The former USA Olympic gymnastics doctor has been accused by hundreds of individuals, including popular Olympic athletes, who say he molested them or otherwise behaved inappropriately.
Though Randall-Gay told police in 2004 that Nasser touched her breast and attempted to penetrate her vagina with his finger during a scoliosis test, authorities ultimately dismissed her complaint, as Fox News reported.
“I bet people at physical therapy don’t do this,” the doctor allegedly told her as he massaged beneath her underwear, according to a report made public this week.
Though Nasser said he wanted to make weekly appointments to see her, Randall-Gay reportedly felt “uncomfortable” after the experience and reported it at a local hospital, where she underwent a rape test.
He said at the time that touching the teen “in the perineum” was part of his process of releasing her ligament. The presentation apparently convinced police, who opted not to submit Randall-Gay’s complaint to prosecutors.
She was one of the many victims who appeared in court to publicly address Nasser ahead of his sentencing, which resulted in up to 175 years behind bars in addition to a prior 60-year sentence for child pornography.
According to Randall-Gay’s statement, Nasser “had the audacity to tell [police] I misunderstood the treatment because I was not comfortable with my body.”
Current city leaders are reportedly planning a public apology for Thursday to make amends for the treatment she received more than a decade ago. Township manager Frank Walsh has already addressed the issue.
“We missed it,” he said. “We’re not going to hide it. We were deceived.”
Walsh said this week’s apology usher in the town’s new “focus on what we can do going forward to give victims of sexual assault a strong voice and to listen and be a champion for prosecution.”
[Featured image: Larry Nasser/Associated Press]