The office that administers district courts in the state has assigned an outside judge to handle Jerry Sandusky's preliminary hearing, currently scheduled for Dec. 7 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts has assigned Senior Magisterial District Judge Robert E. Scott of Westmoreland County to the case after Centre County Court asked for an out-of-county judge, according to an AOPC news release.
Scott has "no known connections" with Penn State or The Second Mile, a charity founded by Sandusky, the AOPC said.
Centre County President Judge David Grine asked for an outside judge "to avoid the possibility of any perception of impropriety," online court documents state.
Centre County Magisterial District Judge Leslie Dutchcot handled Sandusky's initial contact - the arraignment after his arrest on Nov. 4.
Media outlets have suggested that reported connections with The Second Mile might have influenced Dutchcot in setting bail - a seemingly light one at $100,000 unsecured.
Dutchcot wouldn't necessarily have presided over the preliminary hearing, however, given that Centre County Central Court assigns magisterial district judges to those hearings on a rotating basis, according to Court Administrator Maxine Ishler and the news release.
Interim CEO David Woodle of The Second Mile suggested Dutchcot's involvement with The Second Mile was minimal in terms of money donations and planning committee work.
As of a couple days ago, there were no requests for a bail change for Sandusky, Ishler said.
