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Sandusky Asking for More Freedom in Court Friday

Jerry Sandusky takes his fight to see his grandchildren to Centre County court on Friday. He wants a judge to grant him more lenient bail conditions. Prosecutor...
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Jerry Sandusky takes his fight to see his grandchildren to Centre County court on Friday. He wants a judge to grant him more lenient bail conditions.

Prosecutors are arguing just the opposite, that he deserves even more restrictions.

Downtown Bellefonte is once again filling with satellite trucks, the national media is once again descending on Centre County for yet another step in the Sandusky case.

He wants more freedom while on bail. Prosecutors said after what he has been up to recently, he deserves even more restrictions.

Sandusky is asking a judge for permission to see his grandchildren with supervision by one of their parents. He is also asking to be allowed to travel around the county with his attorneys to work on his defense.

Prosecutors don't even want Sandusky allowed on his own back porch. It overlooks a playground outside an elementary school.

The attorney general notified the judge there have been complaints about Sandusky standing outside watching kids play.

"If he is doing that, watching the kids from his deck, that is a little disturbing considering the details of this case," said neighbor of the school Casey McNeil.

His lawyer Joe Amednola said it just so happens that kids come out for recess when Sandusky is outside.

"He's within the confines of what the bail conditions are with the detention program," said Amendola. "He's permitted to be on his porch and patio and he's taking great pains not to be out when other people are around."

In court papers, prosecutors said Sandusky belongs in jail. A judge put him on house arrest after he posted bail. Conditions of that allow him outside his house, but he can't leave the property except for medical reasons.

Prosecutors wrote in court filings, "house arrest is not meant to be a house party."

They want his house in State College to be like a jail cell, with him stuck inside.

His attorneys disagree.

"He's on pretrial release, in fact there are people with DUI's pending who are out driving their cars around while their DUI's are pending," said Sandusky's attorney Karl Rominger.

Prosecutors said this isn't even close to a DUI. The former Penn State coach is charged with sexually assaulting young boys.

"We haven't heard any witnesses testify to those facts and we know the presentment is trumpted up we understand why they feel that way because they've been caused to feel that way by the attorney general's office," added Rominger.

At the hearing, a judge will also hear arguments about whether to have a Centre County jury hear the case.

Prosecutors want a jury from another county chosen because of all the publicity. The defense wants jurors from Centre County.

But Sandusky's attorneys suggest delaying the trial a bit, hoping media attention dies down and makes it easier to pick a fair jury.

Sandusky's attorneys said their client will be in court Friday in person.

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