An Ingham County judge denied a request Wednesday to dismiss a felony charge for an ex-Michigan State University gymnastics coach.
Kathie Klages is charged with lying to law enforcement during an investigation into former MSU sports doctor Larry Nassar. The Klages prosecution is part of a broader investigation into how Nassar was able to sexually assault his young patients for decades.
She is accused of lying about gymnasts coming to her and disclosing that Nassar did things to them that made them uncomfortable. Two women who were teenagers in 1997 say they reported Nassar to Klages, but she did nothing.
Klages’s attorneys say the district court judge should not have sent the case to circuit court for trial.
Judge Joyce Draganchuk disagreed.
“The district judge did what the district judge is supposed to do," Draganchuk said. “Analyze the evidence, assessed credibility, and found that the standard was met.”
Prosecutors say Klages told law enforcement that no gymnasts came to her with concerns about Nassar. But during an evidentiary hearing in September, former gymnast Larissa Boyce said she told Klages Nassar digitally penetrated her without gloves.
