Lawyers are worried Penn State fans can’t be objective about Jerry Sandusky.
Prosecutors in the former assistant football coach’s child molestation trial are concerned that selecting a jury from Centre County, Pennsylvania, the county where Penn State University is located, could hinder a fair trial.
On Tuesday, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania filed a motion for a change of venire with the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.
The phrase change of venire means jurors would be chosen from another county.
Read the Commonwealth’s motion for change of venire here.
Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing 10 boys over a 14-year period. Sandusky faces charges ranging from inappropriate touching to statutory rape. Some of the alleged molestation took place in Penn State’s football locker room.
The Commonwealth says in its motion that "the combination of the pervasive publicity and the unique nature of the Penn State community" requires that the jury be selected from another county.
More specifically, the motion says that "other, even adjacent, counties have a less intimate connection with Penn State. Recent events underscore an association between the community and University which is admirable but, ultimately, incompatible with jury service."
The motion also says that moving the entire trial would be "impractical... Witnesses for both Defendant and the Commonwealth reside in Centre County; and proximity to the scenes involved will be important."
It also states "Centre County [should] be the site of justice... it is important that the trial and verdict unfold there."
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