Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Jerry Sandusky’s latest appeal process is underway. Sandusky was not at the meeting in the Centre County Courthouse, where Judge John Cleland, met with the convicted child molester’s new lawyer, along with prosecutors. Cleland gave the new lawyer until early May to revise what’s already been submitted to the court for this appeal. Prosecutors will then have 30 days to respond. They also discussed how much of the original grand jury testimony can be used in the appeal. Much of it has remained sealed by a 2012 court order. Sandusky has been jailed since June 2012 when he was convicted on 45 child sex-abuse charges. He could be behind bars for up to 60 years. Pictured, Judge John Cleland The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Judge John Cleland will meet later this month with Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer and prosecutors about the former Penn State assistant football coach’s latest appeal. The April 22 meeting in Bellefonte will address the schedule for the proceedings. Sandusky’s lawyer filed a Post-Conviction Relief Act appeal last week, but it’s under seal and Cleland is keeping it that way for now. Last year, the state Supreme Court declined to review Sandusky’s 2012 conviction on child sex abuse charges. Sandusky is serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years in state prison. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery has announced his retirement, amid the state government email pornography scandal. McCaffery has sent a letter to Governor Tom Corbett announcing his plans to retire from the bench, and the Judicial Conduct Board released the following statement: "Based on a limited waiver by Justice Seamus P. McCaffery of the confidentiality provisions of the Pennsylvania Constitution and the Judicial Conduct Board’s Rules of Procedure that would otherwise prohibit the Board from commenting on the matters pending before it, the Board issues the following statement in light of Justice McCaffery’s retirement from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania: Pursuant to its constitutional mandate, the Judicial Conduct Board has been investigating allegations involving Justice McCaffery for several months, including some of very recent origin which have been disclosed in the media. If the Board were to continue its investigations and institute proceedings agains...

A member of the state Supreme Court is caught up in the email pornography scandal in the attorney general’s office. Pennsylvania chief justice Ronald Castille issued a news release today saying Justice Seamus McCaffrey was the sender or recipient of 234 emails with sexually explicit material or pornography in them. Castille says McCaffrey sent most of the emails to a now-retired agent with the AG’s office, who then forwarded them to other. The circulation of porn in the attorney general’s office happened from late 2008 until early 2012, and has led to the resignation of several people, including now-former DEP Secretary Chris Abruzzo. The emails surfaced during a review of how the Jerry Sandusky case at Penn State was handled by the attorney general's office. Castille says the attorney general’s office told him the 234 emails involving McCaffrey contained 1,502 sexually explicit images and 60 sexually explicit video files, some of which were duplicates. He estimated the number...

McKean County Senior Judge John Cleland has been appointed to preside over a libel suit brought by state Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery and his wife, five days after the co-owners of Philadelphia's two major newspapers won a bid to recuse the entire Philadelphia bench. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts recommended Cleland, who was later approved by Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Saylor. Cleland presided over the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse trial and was also chairman of the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice that looked into the Kids for Cash scandal in Luzerne County. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Senior Judge John M. Cleland, who has earned a reputation in the region and throughout Pennsylvania for his unwavering fairness and strong commitment to juvenile justice during his 30 years on bench, will address the graduating class at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in April. Cleland, who is also a member and past chairman of the university’s Advisory Board and a Kane native, will deliver the keynote address during commencement exercises Sunday, April 27, in the KOA Arena in the Richard E. and Ruth McDowell Sport and Fitness Center. “It is a distinct honor for our university to have John Cleland address our graduates, particularly during this milestone year as we celebrate our 50th anniversary,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, Pitt-Bradford’s president. “Though he is well-respected throughout Pennsylvania, he has never forgotten his small-town roots, which will enable him to offer practical and valuable advice to our graduates and their families.” ...

The state attorney general’s office says there’s no reason the state Supreme Court should consider an appeal of Jerry Sandusky’s child sex abuse convictions. Kathleen Kane’s office filed papers saying that in his request "Sandusky nowhere argues that there are special and important reasons for allowance of appeal, much less identify such reasons or explain their importance. Rather, he simply argues the merits of each of the issues that he raised before the Superior Court without explaining why this court should address those issues." Sandusky argues that his lawyers were rushed to trial, prosecutors improperly referred to his decision not to testify, and that Judge John Cleland made a mistake by telling the jury to weigh evidence of his good character against all other evidence in the case. The 69-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach is serving the second year of a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence. You can read the prosecutors' 28-page brief here . ...

A state appeals court has ruled that Jerry Sandusky should not get a new trial on charges that he sexually abused 10 boys while he was an assistant football coach at Penn State. Sandusky was convicted and sentenced last year to 30 to 60 years in state prison. His current lawyer argued that his trial lawyers didn’t have enough time to prepare, that a prosecutor made improper references to Sandusky not testifying in his own defense, and that Judge John Cleland mishandled jury instructions. Today’s decision by a three-judge Superior Court panel came just two weeks after they heard lawyers’ arguments. Sandusky’s lawyer says he plans to ask the state Supreme Court to review the case. You can read the decision here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Senior Judge John Leete of Potter County will preside over the suit against the NCAA filed by the family of the late Joe Paterno. The lawsuit filed by the family, several Penn State trustees, former players and others argues that the NCAA bypassed its own rules in taking action against the university. The penalties include a four-year postseason ban and a $60 million fine. The penalties were in response to the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence after being convicted last summer of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. He denies the allegations and is pursuing appeals. Leete was assigned after Centre County’s president judge requested that an out-of-county judge hear the case. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The lawyer handling Jerry Sandusky’s appeal for his conviction on 45 counts of child sex abuse has outlined the reasons he thinks the former Penn State assistant football coach deserves a new trial. In a document filed late this morning in Centre County, Norris Gelman says Judge John Cleland should have given Sandusky’s lawyers more time to prepare for trial and should have issued instructions to the jurors about the years that passed before the victims told anyone about the abuse. Gelman also says Cleland should not have admitted hearsay evidence about a shower attack witnessed by a Penn State janitor, and a prosecutor should not have referenced Sandusky’s interview with NBC's Bob Costas shortly after his arrest, in which it took him nearly 20 seconds to answer a direct question about whether he is sexually attracted to young boys. Sandusky is currently serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG, March 4, 2013 - - State Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne/Carbon/Monroe) released the following statement regarding his dialogue with Pennsylvania Secretary of Education and Penn State Board of Trustees member Ronald Tomalis about the University’s response to the Sandusky scandal at today’s Senate Appropriations Committee budget hearing. “We’ve heard from the governor and many others that the Freeh report is incomplete at best, and at worst, fundamentally flawed. The Freeh report has cost the university in excess of $80 million to date and by some estimates that total will exceed $150 million – an extraordinary amount of money for an incomplete report that lacked subpoena power and had no access to key witnesses.” “It has been reported that the NCAA did not identify a single rule that Penn State violated, and instead, accepted the Freeh report as the conclusive document on the Sandusky scandal. The NCAA’s ill-conceived acceptance and use of the report’s vague conclusio...

Jerry Sandusky is appealing Judge John Cleland’s decision denying him a new trial. Last month, Cleland rejected arguments that defense attorneys didn't have enough time to prepare for the trial that ended in the former Penn State assistant football coach’s conviction on 45 charges of child sex abuse. Cleland also rejected post-sentencing motions regarding jury instructions and hearsay testimony. In documents filed Wednesday in Centre County Court, and released to the media today, Sandusky lawyer Joe Amendola did not say what issues he plans to argue in his appeal to the Superior Court. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Penn State Board of Trustees member John Surma advised board leadership informally in December that, due to several new and continuing business commitments, he would be completing his Penn State board service at the conclusion of his existing term in June. He has reconfirmed that intention in connection with the most recent call for nominations/applications for business and industry Trustees, which is currently under way. "We appreciate very much the leadership John Surma provided during his tenure on the Board," noted Penn State President Rodney Erickson on the university's website. "His expertise and talents were particularly helpful as the inaugural chair of the Board's Subcommittee on Finance and exhibited throughout other key leadership positions. We are fortunate to have someone of John's caliber who was willing to take the time and commitment required to serve his alma mater as a trustee and in many other ways." "Our community owes a signi...

Jerry Sandusky will not be getting a new trial. Judge John Cleland issued an order today denying Sandusky’s request. Sandusky’s lawyers had argued that Cleland did not give them enough time to prepare for the trial that ended with the former Penn State coach’s convictions on 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys. Cleland’s order says Sandusky’s lawyers conceded that their post-trial review turned up nothing that would have changed their trial strategy. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence, but maintains his innocence. If they continue with the appeal process, the next step for his lawyers would be Superior Court. You can read Cleland's entire 27-page order here . PDF The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Penn State's lawyers have asked a judge to throw out a whistleblower and defamation lawsuit filed by the former assistant coach who says he saw Jerry Sandusky molest a boy in a school shower. In court papers filed today, the university says Mike McQueary’s lawsuit is too vague and does not meet the legal standards to support his claims. McQuery is claiming that then-university president Graham Spanier made him a scapegoat after Sandusky was arrested. But Penn State attorney Nancy Conrad wrote, "It is not enough that the alleged victim of a statement be embarrassed or annoyed, he must have suffered the kind of harm which has grievously fractured his standing in the community of a respectable society.” You can read the court filing here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Penn State Issues Statement Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett today announced that he is suing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), calling its sanctions against Penn State University arbitrary and illegal, saying they would result in irreparable economic damage to the university, the commonwealth and its citizens. “Penn State football has played a major role, not only as a focus of campus life, but as a generator of revenue for a proud university, a leading tourist attraction and a creator of jobs in the state," Corbett said. “In the wake of this terrible scandal, Penn State was left to heal and clean up this tragedy that was created by the few. The students, the alumni, the board, the administration and faculty all came together at that moment and began to rebuild. “At that same time, while the healing was taking place, the NCAA piled on, choosing to levy, in their words, ‘unprecedented sanctions’ against Penn State and its football program," Corbett sa...

ABC TV has gotten clearance for access to pictures used as exhibits during the Jerry Sandusky trial. Judge John Cleland issued his order late this afternoon granting ABC permission to get copies of 15 pictures related to Victim 1, Aaron Fisher. ABC asked for the pictures last month as the network was producing a report on Fisher’s book, “Silent No More,” about his experiences with Sandusky. Cleland's order noted that prosecutors and Sandusky's lawyer were not opposed to the release, and that Fisher and his mother supported it. ABC must pay $10 per exhibit. Sandusky, the 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach, is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence for abusing Fisher and nine other boys over a period of 15 years. He maintains his innocence and is asking for his conviction to be overturned, or for a new trial. Arguments on those motions are scheduled for January 10.

Judge John Cleland today granted a request from Jerry Sandusky’s lawyers for an extension to file briefs in support of an effort to have his convictions on child sex abuse charges overturned, or be granted a new trial. Defense lawyers now have until December 14 to file their briefs. A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for January 10 in Bellefonte. Sandusky, who is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence, which is says is excessive, says hearsay evidence was improperly allowed during his trial and there wasn’t enough other evidence for convictions. His lawyer asked for the extension because lead appeals attorney Norris Gelman recently had a heart attack and open-heart surgery, and could not start work on the case until mid-October. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

HARRISBURG, PA (November 13, 2012) —The Dauphin County Court Administrator’s Office announced today that the preliminary hearing on recently-filed charges against Timothy M. Curley, Gary C. Schultz, and Graham B. Spanier has been scheduled for Thursday, December 13, 2012, at 9:00 a.m., in Courtroom 1 of the Dauphin County Courthouse, Harrisburg, PA. Magisterial District Judge William C. Wenner will preside. If necessary, the hearing will continue on Friday, December 14, 2012. All three defendants were administrators at The Pennsylvania State University. Curley, former athletic director; Schultz, retired senior vice president; and Spanier, former president, are charged with perjury, endangering welfare of children, obstructing administration of law, failure to report, and criminal conspiracy related to sexual assault allegations against former PSU defensive coach Jerry Sandusky. Information on seating availability will be forthcoming and posted on the website. Update...

Jerry Sandusky's lawyers are asking for a couple more weeks to file briefs in support of his effort to have his convictions on child sex abuse charges overturned. Defense attorney Joe Amendola today asked Judge John Cleland for the extension, saying lead appeals lawyer Norris Gelman recently had a heart attack and open-heart surgery, and could not start work on the case until midi-October. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence, which he says is excessive. Sandusky also wants a new trial if the convictions are not overturned, saying hearsay evidence was improperly allowed and there wasn’t enough other evidence for convictions. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947