By Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times –
Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach convicted of child sex abuse, will be sentenced Oct. 9, the judge in the case has ordered.
Sandusky, 68, faces hundreds of years in prison after he was convicted of 45 counts of abusing 10 boys over the course of 15 years. The former coach, who has been in jail since the June verdict, has maintained his innocence.
Judge John Cleland, who presided over the much-publicized trial, scheduled a hearing for 9 a.m. EDT on Oct. 9 at the courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., to determine if Sandusky should be classified as a sexually violent predator. An assessment board has recommended the designation, which requires special reporting procedures if a convict is released — unlikely given the amount of time Sandusky faces.
After the hearing, Sandusky is scheduled to be formally sentenced.
Cleland also asked the prosecution and the defense to submit written statements by Oct. 5 to help him decide on the sentence. The judge scheduled a pre-sentencing hearing, to be held in chambers, for Oct. 8 as well.
Sandusky was accused of repeatedly molesting boys who were clients at the charity the coach founded for disadvantaged youth. Sandusky was convicted of grooming the boys, giving them gifts of athletic memorabilia and taking them to football games, often involving Penn State teams.
Some of the sexual abuse took place in the shower room of the football training facility on campus; other incidents took place at Sandusky’s home.
The scandal roiled the campus and eventually led to the ouster of the late football coach Joe Paterno and cost Graham Spanier his post as university president. The NCAA also fined the school $60 million, banned the team from post-season bowl games and vacated Paterno’s victories from 1998-2011.
An internal investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh found that the school mishandled an allegation of abuse against Sandusky in 2001.
Two other school officials, former Athletic Director Tim Curley and retired Vice President Gary Schulz, face trial on charges of perjury and that they failed to report suspected abuse.
