Jerry Sandusky Cleared for Grandchildren Visits

A judge in Centre County, Pa., today made changes in the bail terms for accused child molester Jerry Sandusky, according to ABC News. Sandusky is accused of molesting at least 10 boys and his release on bail originally prevented him from contact with children. Judge John Cleland agreed to allow Sandusky to receive visits from most of his grandchildren while he is on bail. Three of the grandchildren still remain under the ban as their mother refuses to permit visits.

The judge also ruled the jury pool will be from Centre County, home to Penn State University where Sandusky was an assistant football coach for many years. The prosecution had argued, AP reported last week, that Sandusky’s ties to the local community would make it difficult to find impartial jurors. The trial is scheduled to begin May 14.

Sandusky continues to remain confined to home by the terms of his bail. His attorney was granted access to the names of the 10 victims but has been refused access by Judge Cleland to the secret grand jury testimony.

Sandusky was an assistant football coach at Penn State for 30 years. After his retirement, he was active with a children’s charity he helped found, the Second Mile . A grand jury issued findings of fact, reprinted by the New York Times, that indicated at least eight boys involved in Second Mile programs might have been molested by Sandusky from about 1994 to 2008. The incidents are alleged to have occurred in various Penn State football facilities and at the Sandusky home.

An incident witnessed by a graduate assistant on the Penn State campus in 2002 was reported to college authorities, who banned Sandusky from bringing boys from Second Mile into the football locker room. No report was made to police.

In 1998, Sandusky was reported to the police by a concerned mother. ESPN, in a timeline of Sandusky’s career, describes the investigation and the decision by the then district attorney not to file any charges.


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