Sandusky jury selection underway

BELLEFONTE, Pa. – A pool of more than 200 Centre County residents is being whittled down today as the long anticipated process of finding an impartial jury for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse trial is underway.

The proceedings got underway around 8:30am, within a few hours five people were dismissed as potential jurors.

Jerry Sandusky walked into the courthouse in Bellefonte with his attorney Joe Amendola.

He sat through a good portion of the questioning.

Sandusky laughed at some of the judge’s jokes, but put his head down when Judge John Cleland told jurors the nature of the charges.

Those jurors received some good news when the judge told them they will not be sequestered for the trial which could last several weeks.

Around 240 of the summoned 600 residents showed up this morning for jury selection.

Extra chairs are set up in Courtroom One. 

Judge Cleland started by asking for a raise of hands from potential jurors who are connected to Penn State or know the Sandusky family.

Prosecutors and the defense showed a list of potential witnesses, which include Sue and Jay Paterno, members of the Sandusky family, former Penn State president Graham Spanier, former football assistant coach Mike McQueary, and members of the Second Mile Charity.

With jury selection set to begin Tuesday, it will mark seven months since Jerry Sandusky walked into a magistrate’s office in handcuffs.

Sandusky has virtually remained out of prison since his arrest.

From the moment he was formally charged back on November 4^th, prosecutors have maintained this is a straight forward case, saying the evidence is very strong.

Sandusky’s attorneys have taken a far different viewpoint.  The maintain Sandusky’s innocence and are fighting prosecutors at every legal turn.

Sandusky was jailed briefly when additional charges were filed, but using their house as collateral, he was quickly bailed out by his wife.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.