Gerald Allen Sutter: Referee, 70, accused of grooming and sexually abusing young athletes for decades
LANSING, MICHIGAN: Gerald Allen Sutter, 70, a well-known sports referee, was arrested for sexual abuse of minor athletes and grooming them. It is said that Sutter's harassment went on for decades. He was charged with three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct.
The Lansing Township Police and the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office stated that the assault started in 2019 at the accused’s home in Fitting Avenue. According to Law & Crime, a tip received from an anonymous source about a "well-known athletic official for youth sports" was the catalyst for the opening and speeding up of investigations.
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“Sutter has been a multi sport official, both male and female, spanning early childhood sports all the way through college athletics,” authorities said in a release. “Over the past 50 years, Sutter has travelled all over this state officiating athletics but primarily worked in the mid-Michigan area. Anyone that has played or had children who have played sports in this area likely had games officiated by Sutter.”
“It appeared he was trying to befriend, primarily, young male victims, and kind of shower them with gifts and attention and other things like that to start building that relationship, all with the intent of potentially grooming them for these nefarious acts,” Scott Wriggelsworth, Ingham County Sheriff, said. “Some of the information we’ve gleaned from the start of this investigation leads us to believe that he’s been preying on young male victims for quite some time. And don’t know if there’s any female victims out there.”
Wriggelsworth added that the alleged harassment may have been going on for decades. The authorities have also set up a helpline number and email for Sutter's other potential victims to come forward. They can contact the police via 517-676-8440 or hotline@ingham.org.
“We want to assure that any person willing to come forward and provide information will be treated with dignity and respect," Wriggelsworth continued. "This investigation will be thorough and objective in our pursuit of justice. Our professionals understand that the trauma sensitivity and reluctance associated with cases like this. We have specifically trained detectives that have worked sexual assault cases in the past that know how to handle these delicate situations, know the right questions to ask, understand the trauma associated with these type incidences.”