BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Jerry Sandusky has been led away in handcuffs from a Pennsylvania courthouse after being convicted of molesting 10 boys over 15 years.

In court, Sandusky half-waved toward family as the sheriff led him away. Outside, he calmly walked to a sheriff's car with his hands cuffed in front of him.

The former Penn State assistant football coach has been convicted of 45 counts.

Sandusky showed little emotion as the verdict was read. The judge ordered him to be taken to the county jail to await sentencing in about three months.

His attorney, Karl Rominger, says it was "a tough case" with a lot of charges and that an appeal was certain.
He says the defense team "didn't exactly have a lot of time to prepare." He says Sandusky "took it well" upon hearing the verdict.
It's likely that Judge John Cleland would order a pre-sentencing report, which would take anywhere from one to two months to complete.

During that time, he would be examined by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to decide if he should be treated as a sexually violent predator, and prosecutors could ask the judge for a hearing.

The judge determines whether someone is a sexually violent predator — it carries stiffer reporting and treatment requirements once someone is out of prison — and can use information from the board's investigation in a sentencing decision.

If he's sentenced to state prison — which appears to be certain in this case — then Sandusky will be transferred to Camp Hill, in central Pennsylvania, which has 3,000 to 4,000 inmates, about 1,000 of whom are held temporarily for classification.

New inmates are put through a battery of medical, dental, psychiatric, psychological, vocational and educational testing, according to Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sue Bensinger, who spoke generally about a male inmate convicted in Centre County and not of Sandusky's case in particular.

He would then be placed in a state prison based on his treatment plan and the available beds. Sex offenders must undergo mandatory treatment programs, she said. A judge can request placement near an inmate's home, but the department cannot necessarily honor those requests, she said.

Age is not a factor in the placement of Sandusky, 68, but any medical conditions could be. Inmates from 18 to 79 are housed in general populations, although older inmates may be put in lower bunks and have other handicap accommodations, she said. The majority of state facilities have infirmaries.

Sandusky could still face a flurry of potential civil lawsuits from his accusers.

 

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