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A Son Of Jerry Sandusky Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse

This photo provided by the Centre County Correctional Facility shows Jeffrey Sandusky, who was charged Monday with sexual offenses involving children. Sandusky is a son of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
AP
This photo provided by the Centre County Correctional Facility shows Jeffrey Sandusky, who was charged Monday with sexual offenses involving children. Sandusky is a son of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

One of the sons of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky faces child sexual abuse charges in Centre County, Pa.

NPR's Jeff Brady reported that the charges against 41-year-old Jeffrey Sandusky come more than four years after his father was convicted of child sexual abuse.

"Jeffrey Sandusky was charged with 14 counts that include child sexual abuse and child pornography. His adoptive father, former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, was convicted in 2012 of abusing 10 boys," Jeff reported.

"The elder Sandusky is serving a prison sentence of up to 60 years but maintains he is innocent."

Sandusky and his wife, Dottie, have six adopted children. One son, Matthew Sandusky, said in 2012 he had been abused by his father; he testified against Sandusky and later told his story on Oprah.

Dottie Sandusky and the couple's other five children said in a statement following Matthew's accusation that they never saw any indication of "anything inappropriate."

A preliminary hearing in Jeffrey Sandusky's case is scheduled for Feb. 22. Of the 14 charges against him, 12 allegedly occurred in 2013.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Rebecca Hersher (she/her) is a reporter on NPR's Science Desk, where she reports on outbreaks, natural disasters, and environmental and health research. Since coming to NPR in 2011, she has covered the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, embedded with the Afghan army after the American combat mission ended, and reported on floods and hurricanes in the U.S. She's also reported on research about puppies. Before her work on the Science Desk, she was a producer for NPR's Weekend All Things Considered in Los Angeles.