Board fearful group used to groom victims

HARRISBURG - A state senator who serves on the board of a nonprofit founded by Jerry Sandusky said on Wednesday it would be "devastating" if evidence shows The Second Mile was used to groom victims.

"I think every board member would feel used and feel terrible," said Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre County, a Second Mile director since 2010. "I hope to God that is not true. Is it something we're all concerned about now• Sure. If he was using it for those purposes, it would be awful."

Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach, faces 40 counts of child sexual abuse for allegedly molesting boys over a 15-year period. He told NBC last month he is innocent.

Prosecutors say eight victims included in a grand jury presentment were from The Second Mile.

Corman told the Tribune-Review that the charity's mission to help underprivileged kids "has grown so much beyond Sandusky with chapters across the state." Its future is uncertain because of impending lawsuits.

"The accused was held in the highest regard in this community," said Corman. Then, suddenly, it's as if he has "monster" written beside his name, Corman said.

"It's unbelievable," he said.

Auditor General Jack Wagner said yesterday he told Penn State University officials he does not want taxpayers footing legal bills for the child sex scandal.

Penn State gets $227 million from the state, plus millions more for capital construction.

When The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News broke the story in March that Sandusky was under investigation for sex crimes, many people in Centre County believed he was innocent, Corman said. Since then, people have seen some of the evidence gathered in the investigation, he said.

The Second Mile hired former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham to investigate because she has a tough reputation and is not from the community, Corman said.

"We want to know the truth," he said.

Corman cautioned lawmakers against approving laws spurred by the scandal. "We're quick to introduce bills," he said. He believes lawmakers should wait for multiple investigations to conclude before determining "where did the law fall short?"

Sen. John Blake, D-Scranton, is drafting a bill that would require Penn State and other state-related universities to comply with the state's open records law, as do other state agencies and institutions. Corman believes some legislation to require that will be enacted.