New Judge Appointed in Penn State Scandal
Previous judge presiding over sex abuse case was connected to Sandusky
A new judge has been appointed to oversee the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts announced Wednesday.
Judge Robert E. Scott, a senior judge from an outside county has been chosen to preside over the preliminary hearing against Sandusky.
Sandusky, an ex-Penn State football coach is accused of sexually abusing at least eight boys over 15 years, including in some cases on the campus of Penn State. The scandal has rocked the university and resulted in the ouster of its president and legendary football coach Joe Paterno, after criticism that they didn't notify police earlier of what they knew about the allegations.
Scott, a senior district judge in Westmoreland County, has no known connections to Penn State University, The Second Mile, nor any officers or representatives of any of those entities.
Earlier this week documents revealed that Judge Leslie Dutchcot, the judge who set Sandusky's bail was tied to The Second Mile, a charity set up by Sandusky.
Documents show Dutchcot had donated money to The Second Mile, and a website for the law firm where she works lists the charity as one of several for which she has volunteered.
The assignment of an out-of-county judge comes as a response to a request from the Centre County Common Pleas Court to have a jurist from outside the county preside over the case.
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