PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) ? The state of Pennsylvania and college football fans across the country were rattled on Sunday by sexual abuse charges filed against a celebrated former assistant to legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno.
Former defensive coordinator Gerald "Jerry" Sandusky, 67, of State College, where Penn State is located, faces an array of charges related to sexually abusing eight boys, according to state prosecutors.
"I sincerely believe this has shaken the campus. Everyone from students to people affiliated with the campus were really taken aback," said Lexi Belculfine, a senior student and editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian newspaper.
The charges include seven counts of first-degree involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, according to Pennsylvania State Attorney General Linda Kelly.
"This is a case about a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys," Kelly said.
Sandusky, who was defensive coordinator for 23 years and was once considered a likely successor to Paterno, allegedly targeted boys from 1994 to 2009, a grand jury report said.
Since the charges were announced, at least one state legislator has called for an investigation. State senator Jeffrey Piccola suggested university trustees investigate how Penn State officials handled the alleged reports of sexual abuse, according to The Patriot-News in Harrisburg.
Sandusky was also charged with aggravated indecent assault, eight counts of corruption of minors, and four counts of unlawful contact with a minor.
One victim, a boy about 11 years old when he met Sandusky in 2005 or 2006, testified Sandusky performed oral sex on him more than 20 times through early 2008, and forced the victim to perform oral sex on him, the report from the grand jury said.
Sandusky met the victims through his Second Mile organization, a statewide non-profit organization devoted to "helping troubled young boys," the report said. Sandusky was arraigned on Saturday and released after posting $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 9.
'MAINTAINS HIS INNOCENCE'
His attorney Joe Amendola told reporters Sandusky, who left Penn State coaching in 1999, was shaken by the charges but knew they were coming. "He's maintained his innocence."
The scandal reaches into the upper echelons of the Penn State athletic organization.
Athletic Director Timothy Curley, 57, and Gary Schultz, 62, senior vice president for finance and business, were each charged with failing to report the crimes and perjury.
Penn State President Graham Spanier issued a statement on Saturday saying Curley and Schultz had his "unconditional support," and allegations against both would prove groundless.
Attorneys for Curley and Schultz issued statements on the University's website on Saturday saying the two men were innocent and that they would fight the charges.
Doug Gamber, 51, of Rossville, Pennsylvania, who said he was a 1982 Penn State graduate and maintained contacts with the school, described his reaction to news of the charges as "shocked, appalled."
Asked if they would reverberate across the state, he told Reuters: "Without a doubt. Penn State has kind of a pristine reputation."
Paterno, the winningest coach in the highest division of collegiate sports, has not been charged. Paterno alerted Athletic Director Curley when he learned of the assault.
"He's an impeccable sort of figure, a grandfather figure," Penn State graduate Gamber said of Paterno.
The alleged sexual assaults came to light after a graduate assistant witnessed Sandusky "sexually assaulting a naked boy who appeared to be about 10" at the Lasch Football Building on the Penn State campus in March 2002, the statement said.
The statement said the graduate assistant told Paterno, who alerted Athletic Director Curley. It said Curley and Schultz later told Sandusky not to bring boys to the football building. But they did not alert police.
Sandusky had an office and telephone in the Lasch Building, according to court documents. He had access to all recreational facilities and other privileges negotiated as part of his retirement, it said.
"I always liked Jerry Sandusky. I thought he was a terrific coach," Frank, a 65-year-old retiree from central Pennsylvania who did not want his full name used, told Reuters. "I just feel bad about it. It will be a reflection on Penn State."
(Additional reporting by Lauren Keiper in Boston and Ian Simpson in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania; Editing by Jerry Norton)
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