Report: Penn State witness Mike McQuery emailed friend that he "stopped" rape, called cops

(CBS/AP) STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The former graduate assistant who told a grand jury that he witnessed Jerry Sandusky allegedly raping a boy in the Penn State shower room claims in an email that he stopped the March 2002 attack and called police.

According to the Associated Press, on Nov. 8, Mike McQueary emailed a friend, saying: "I did stop it, not physically ... but made sure it was stopped when I left that locker room ... I did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police .... no one can imagine my thoughts or wants to be in my shoes for those 30-45 seconds ... trust me."

McQueary has been criticized for not going to police immediately after witnessing the crime, but rather to his superior, head coach Joe Paterno. McQueary is currently on paid administrative leave from his position as an assistant football coach at the university. School officials have said he was receiving threats.

The grand jury report goes into considerable detail about the March 2002 incident, but makes no mention of McQueary intervening or talking to police.

According to the report, McQueary left the locker room "distraught," and contacted his father and then head coach Joe Paterno, the panel said. McQueary later met with athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz to describe what he had seen, the grand jury said.

Curley and Schultz have both been indicted for failing to report the allegations and for perjury before the grand jury, who stated in their report that they found portions of the two men's testimony "not credible."

On Monday night, Sandusky spoke over the telephone with Bob Costas and admitted to showering with boys. They "horsed around," he said, but claimed it wasn't sexual. His admissions stunned many.

"Mr. Sandusky goes on worldwide television and admits he did everything the prosecution claims he did, except for the ultimate act of rape or sodomy? If I were a prosecutor, I'd be stunned," said Lynne Abraham, the former district attorney of Philadelphia. "I was stunned, and then I was revolted."

Abraham led a grand jury probe involving 63 accused priests from the Philadelphia archdiocese, and was recently retained to lead an internal investigation of The Second Mile, the children's charity founded by Sandusky, from which he allegedly chose and groomed his victms.

"I could say that I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have,hugged them, and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact," Sandusky told Bob Costas. "I am innocent of those charges."

Costas asked if he was sexually attracted to young boys, he answered: "Sexually attracted, no. I enjoy young people, I love to be around them, but, no, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys."

"What was especially astonishing about Sandusky's interview is - and this will be the big moment in court - is when he stumbled over the question about whether he was sexually attracted to children," said crisis management expert Eric Dezenhall,who runs a Washington consulting firm. "That may not be legal proof that he's guilty, but it is certainly not helpful, to struggle with the question."

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported Monday that only one trooper was assigned to the case after the state took it over in 2009. After Tom Corbett became governor early this year and his former investigations supervisor in the attorney general's office, Frank Noonan, became state police commissioner, seven more investigators were put on it, the newspaper said.

Complete coverage of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal on Crimesider