Jerry Sandusky Sentenced
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was sentenced today for his child molestation conviction. Sandusky received between 30 and 60 years in prison, a life sentence for the 68 year old. He had been found guilty of 45 counts of sexual abuse of 10 different boys. In a statement after the sentencing, Sandusky once again claimed innocence.
Sandusky played at Penn State from 1963 to 1965 as a defensive end. He returned to the program in 1969 and coached there as an assistant until 1999. He became the defensive coordinator in 1977 and held the position until retirement. During his time at Penn State, he was recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the country.
The trouble began for Sandusky when he was investigated in 1998 on suspicion of molestation. The investigation forced his retirement. Shockingly, many of the 10 boys he is accused of molesting were assaulted after the 1998 investigation. Despite concerns over Sandusky’s behavior being brought to Joe Paterno, Sandusky was allowed to use Penn State facilities. It was through “The Second Mile”, a children’s charity, that Sandusky found many of his victims.
This is just the latest example of someone using a charitable foundation to abuse kids. A similar horror occurred in Honduras at the H.O.P.E. orphanage where one of the men running the operation were abusing children. It is a situation that must be closely monitored, as needy children are most at risk. As a society we can not allow predators to take advantage of those in need.
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The North Mobile Post was founded in April of 2011. The site serves as a blog covering Mobile County as well as news from around the world.
