Pennsylvania Governor defends Sandusky case

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Gov. defends pace of state's Sandusky case

By Associated Press

Prosecutors needed about two years between the first report of child sexual abuse involving Jerry Sandusky and the filing of charges because authorities needed to build an "ironclad case" against him, Gov. Tom Corbett said Monday.

Corbett, then the state attorney general, oversaw the start of the Sandusky investigation after the former Penn State assistant coach was barred from a high school in 2009 when a mother complained about Sandusky. Charges were filed last November.

"I think it surprises some people, the length of time it took," Corbett said. "But having been an assistant DA, an assistant U.S. attorney and handling cases like this, I understood that you have to do a complete investigation and get as many witnesses as you possibly can."

Read the rest here.

Corbett's political enemies have attempted to tie the Republican Governor to the scandal by accusing him of kicking the can down the road and doing little or nothing to further the investigation. As evidence, they point to his assignment of "too few" investigators and delaying arrest while his office conducted the probe.

In cases of this magnitude, where the ramifications for the state are so significant, getting all of the legal stuff right is paramount. You only get one bite at the apple because of double jeopardy issues. You try the monster once and if you blow it--ala OJ Simpson--the monster goes free.

There were 10 victims in the case decided last week and more than 50 counts of abuse alleged over many years. Prosecutors said they had more victims and evidence supporting many more counts, but carefully vetted the case and put on a prosecution that would stick.

There is also the somewhat distasteful notion of our presumption of innocence. As horrifying as the story became over time, until prosecutors could be confident that they had a case they could prove beyond reasonable doubt, they could not simply pull him "off the streets." This is not the Soviet Union and the freedoms provided by our system of justice won't survive making exceptions for even the most monstrously evil.

Two years is a very long time, but justice was ultimately served.

To those on the left who think this is an opportunity to draw political blood, just how low are you willing to stoop to score points?