CNN TOPSTORIES

10/08/2012

Sandusky plans to speak at hearing

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky leaves the Centre County Courthouse in handcuffs after a jury found him guilty in his sex abuse trial on Friday, June 22.

Sandusky is escorted in handuffs to a police car at the Centre County Courthouse under the glare of TV lights. The jury found Sandusky guilty on 45 of 48 counts.

Defense attorney Joe Amendola talks to the media after the trial.

Dottie Sandusky, who has been married to Sandusky for 46 years, walks with her husband while jurors deliberate. She testified that she did not witness any sexual abuse.

Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's six adopted children, said Thursday through his attorney that he also was sexually abused and was prepared to testify.

Shadows of the media are seen outside the courthouse during the second day of deliberations. Jurors took 21 hours over two days to convict Sandusky on 45 of 48 charges against him.

Sandusky's attorney Joe Amendola arrives at the courthouse Friday. After the conviction, Amendola announced plans to appeal despite the mountain of convictions against his client.

Judge John Cleland walks into the courthouse. Once the jury reached its decision, he revoked Sandusky's bail and ordered his arrest.

Prosecutor Joseph E. McGettigan III, second from left, and the rest of his prosecution team arrive at the courthouse Friday.

A crowd gathers outside the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, to await the Sandusky verdict.

Sandusky faces the cameras as he is led to a sheriff's vehicle in handcuffs after the reading of the verdict.

Sandusky is put into a police car.

Sandusky was booked into the Centre County Correctional Facility.

Sandusky could face life in prison after conviction on 45 counts of child sex abuse
His attorney said he has been working on a statement in prison
The scandal led to the firing of Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno

(CNN) -- The attorney for Jerry Sandusky says the former Penn State assistant football coach plans to assert his innocence during a sentencing hearing in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.

Sandusky, 68, could face up to life in prison after he was convicted on 45 counts of child sex abuse.

The podium stand outside of Jerry Sandusky's trial on its first day is covered in mics, hinting at the massive media coverage of the event.

Several news vans pile up outside of the Sandusky trial. The network satellite vans are all parked in front of the Centre County Courthouse and the vans parked in back are live trucks from the regional news outlets.

Every day Sandusky arrived in the passenger seat of his attorney Joe Amendola's black BMW SUV.

This sign posted on a road near the town of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, shows support for former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno.

Mic cords abound as the media took over the courthouse lawn to cover the Jerry Sandusky trial.

The grave of Joe Paterno is at Spring Creek Presbyterian Cemetery in State College, Pennsylvania.

Reporters wait with microphones outside of the Sandusky trial.

Several photographers and videographers staked out spots behind the police's green barriers in the back of the courthouse where Sandusky's trial was taking place.

Live vans from regional news outlets fill the lot behind the Centre County Courthouse where the Sandusky trial is taking place.

Judge John M. Cleland is presiding over Sandusky's trial at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

A business advertises Joe Paterno items within view of the courthouse where assistant coach Sandusky is on trial.

The gate to the practice football field is locked at the Mildred and Louis Lasch Football Building at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania

Mics and cameras surround the podium ouside the courthouse where Jerry Sandusky is on trial.

Photos: Sandusky trial coverage

Attorney Joe Amendola said Monday his client has been working on a statement that he plans to read in court.

In June, jurors found that the former defensive coordinator had used his access to university facilities to sexually abuse 10 boys over a 15-year period.

The scandal led to the firing of legendary head football coach Joe Paterno and the ouster of the university's longtime president Graham Spanier.

Autopsy: Sheriff killed in crash was legally drunk

Cochise County

By NBC News staff

A northern Arizona sheriff who lost control of his pickup truck last month and rolled it, killing him, was legally drunk and had a blood-alcohol level of .291, more than three times the state's legal limit, an autopsy report released Monday said.

Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever was driving along a gravel road near Williams, Ariz., on Sept. 18 to meet family members for a camping and hunting trip when the accident occurred, NBC station KVOA reported. Investigators said Dever was going 62 mph on the unmarked Forest Service road.

The autopsy report also showed that Dever was not wearing his seat belt, and authorities say there was beer and liquor in his truck.

On Friday, Cochise County authorities said Dever had alcohol in his system, but the exact blood-alcohol content wasn't released until Monday.

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Dever was a 34-year veteran of Cochise County law enforcement. He was elected as sheriff in 1996.

On Friday, the Cochise County Sheriff's Office released a statement saying the Dever family "expressed great sorrow at the findings," according to a report on the Arizona Republic's website. The statement said Dever was "reeling from the stress and pressure" of the recent loss of his 86-year-old mother, and the scheduled deployment of one of his six sons to Afghanistan.

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Detroit police chief resigns amid sex scandal

Rebecca Cook / Reuters, file

Police Chief Ralph Godbee, pictured on Jan. 6, has resigned from the Detroit Police Department amid claims of an affair with an officer.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

The chief of the Detroit Police Department has resigned from the force amid allegations of a sex scandal.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing told reporters at a press conference Monday that Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. is retiring due to allegations that he engaged in a relationship with a subordinate female police officer.

"It hurts me a great deal it has come to this," Bing said. "I told him what my expectations were. He didn't live up to those expectations."

Still, Bing said he didn't force Goodbee to step down, the Detroit News reported. Godbee submitted a letter of resignation Sunday.

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"It is with great honor and respect that I announce my retirement from the Detroit Police Department," the letter said. "This will be effective immediately. I am thankful and forever indebted to the residents of this great city for allowing me to serve this community for over 25 years."

Bing placed Godbee, who is married, on a 30-day suspension last week and ordered an investigation into claims that the senior cop dated Angelica Robinson, an internal affairs officer who has been with the department for 17 years.

Godbee's departure Monday is the latest in a slew of Detroit city leaders who have faced accusations of a sexual relationship with a subordinate, including Godbee's immediate predecessor, Warran Evans, and former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Assistant Chief Chester Logan assumed the duties and responsibilities of police chief in the interim, but declined to say Monday whether he was interested in the job permanently, the Detroit News reported.

In his letter, Godbee said he would remain active in the Detroit community.

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"As many of you know, retirement is only another way to say transition," he said. "I always will be actively engaged in our community, our school system, our community colleges and our churches. My mission is to continue to work hard to make this city the best it can be."

Court records show that Godbee filed for divorce from his wife in August and that a settlement conference has been scheduled for Nov. 26.

Robinson, who is also married, told NBC station WDIV that she was in a sexual relationship with Godbee for more than a year. On Friday, Robinson's attorney said she was considering suing the city after authorities confiscated her department-issued weapon and sent her for a mental evaluation because they were concerned she might harm herself, the Detroit News reported. She was declared fit for duty last week and given back her weapon.

Considered one of the most dangerous cities in the country, Detroit struggles with such a high crime and homicide rate that the Detroit Police Officers Association warned citizens and out-of-towners to visit at their own risk. They called the police force "grossly understaffed," overworked and incapable of protecting the public in the violent city.

At the press conference, Logan said the police force "would continue to make the reduction of violent crime a top priority."

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Wedding brawl: Man faces charges of assaulting cop

Police in Philadelphia are investigating a wild scene at a hotel where a brawl broke out between two wedding parties that ended with injuries, arrests and one man's death from a heart attack. NBC's Katy Tur reports.

By NBC News staff

A New Jersey man who wound up being Tased by police has been identified as one of the main troublemakers in a brawl between two wedding parties at a Philadelphia hotel, authorities said.

Philadelphia police say they booked 26-year-old Matthew Sofka of Westfield, N.J., on charges including assault on police, inciting a riot and reckless endangerment.

Sofka was a guest at a family member's wedding at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel when a brawl broke out with another wedding party about 1:30 am. Sunday. Police called in extra patrols to quell the 75- to 100-person rumble. Police say most of the fighters were drunk.

During the brawl, police used a Taser to subdue Sofka, a relative of the groom.

The uncle of one of the brides, Vincent Sannuti, 57, suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead at Jefferson University Hospital, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported. Sannuti, who was also celebrating his birthday, was not involved in the melee, according to police.

View NBCPhiladelphia.com's coverage on wedding night fallout

Portions of the chaotic brawl were caught on cellphone camera by Max Schultz, a 15-year-old guest at the hotel who was not part of the wedding parties.

"I was up on the second floor watching. It was bedlam, out of hand," said Schultz, who posted the video to YouTube. "They just started punching each other and hitting each other and the people just came in and started clubbing people."

Philadelphia Police Sgt. Sean Dandridge was hit in the head during the melee and received treatment for concussion-like symptoms. He is expected to recover.

Dandridge's apparent Facebook page, which says he's a Philadelphia cop, had this message posted Monday morning: "Getting checked out at hospital. No serious neurological injury. Awaiting more tests. Mom called: "Now it's on The Good Day Show." My head started hurting again.... Doc said "Take it easy..."

In the video, a police officer is seen striking Sofka three times with a baton. Police say he was then subdued with a Taser -- an act not caught on camera. Schultz is heard on the video saying, "Did they just deck the bride? They just decked the bride."

Police spokesman Lt. Ray Evers told The Philadelphia Inquirer it was actually not the bride, but rather a bridesmaid who had been hit.

Aside from Sofka, two other people were cited for disorderly conduct for their alleged roles in the brawl.

Police say there could be more arrests.

The hotel released a statement in response to the fight.

"We continue to cooperate with the authorities and as this is an ongoing police investigation any questions should be directed to the local police department. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family for their loss."

NBCPhiladelphia.com's Jackie Galley, Dan Stamm and Danielle Johnson and NBC News' Sevil Omer contributed to this report.

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Navarrette: Obama using Cesar Chavez

UFW leader Cesar Chavez, who died in 1993, attends a rally in support of a grape boycott in California in 1965.

Today, President Obama goes to opening of Cesar E. Chavez National Monument
Chavez was a labor leader who worked for California migrant farmworkers' rights
Ruben Navarrette: This is a political ploy to bolster support from Latino voters
Navarrette: Chavez is irrelevant today and his union has ugly history in deportation

Editor's note: Ruben Navarrette is a CNN contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group. Follow him on Twitter: @rubennavarrette.

(CNN) -- On March 10, 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy made a pilgrimage to the central California farm town of Delano to attend a Catholic Mass and to help Cesar Chavez break a 25-day fast intended to draw attention to the plight of farmworkers.

Some of Kennedy's advisers had warned him not to go. He was thinking about entering the race for president, and his inner circle worried that the gesture to Chavez, president of the United Farm Workers, might antagonize farm groups, a powerful political force in the San Joaquin Valley. Kennedy went anyway, citing his fondness and respect for Chavez, whom he called "one of the heroic figures of our time."

Weakened by his fast, Chavez still managed to write a powerful statement that was read by a union supporter, the Rev. Jim Drake. It went: "It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life. I am convinced that the truest act of courage, the strongest act of manliness is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice. To be a man is to suffer for others. God help us to be men!"

Obama to honor iconic Latino activist with new monument

Kennedy responded by telling those who had gathered: "When your children and grandchildren take their place in America, going to high school and college, and taking good jobs at good pay, when you look at them you will say, 'I did this, I was there at the point of difficulty and danger.' And though you may be old and bent from many years of hard labor, no man will stand taller than you when you say, 'I was there. I marched with Cesar!'"

President Obama made his own pilgrimage Monday to the farmland of central California. In his first visit there as president, Obama will formally establish the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument on a piece of property in Keene, east of Bakersfield. Known as Nuestra Senora Reina de la Paz, or Our Lady Queen of Peace, the property served as the national headquarters of the United Farm Workers.

Kennedy made his visit despite the politics of the day, but Obama's visit is all about politics. The Chavez dedication is some campaign aide's bright idea of how to turn out Latino voters -- 70% of whom support Obama over Mitt Romney -- on Election Day.

It's a rookie mistake -- the kind you expect from people whose knowledge of America's largest minority is limited to mariachis and margaritas.

I have studied and written about Chavez and the United Farm Workers for more than 25 years. I was also born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley, where so much of the UFW drama played out. I had a confrontation with Chavez in 1990 over the union's failures, and I've had a few run-ins since then with UFW Vice President Delores Huerta.

And I can tell you this much: Politically, Obama hit a foul ball.

Chavez has significance as a historical figure. It is because of the UFW that farmworkers now have clean water and toilets in the fields, collective bargaining, lunch breaks and other legal protections.

But Chavez was never a leader for all Latinos. Mexicans and Mexican-Americans might represent more than two-thirds of the U.S. Latino population, but the other third is made up of Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans and others. To them, Chavez probably means nothing. Even Mexican immigrants don't have a stake in the legend of Cesar Chavez; they hear the name, and most of them probably think of the great Mexican boxer, Julio Cesar Chavez.

The group that Chavez has the strongest hold on is Mexican-Americans, but not all of them. He matters to baby boomers, but not to Generation X or the so-called millennial generation. And given that most Mexican-Americans now live in the cities -- Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, San Antonio, Dallas -- how are they supposed to relate to the memory of someone who was focused on the farms?

In the end, the small sliver of Latinos who will be impressed by Obama's gesture -- Mexican-American lefties over 50 -- was going to vote for him anyway. So where's the benefit?

Last, most Latinos disapprove of the president's heavy-handed immigration policies and record number of deportations.

It's immigration, stupid, say Latino voters in Nevada

Chavez earned many titles in his life, but "champion of immigrants" was not one of them. He was primarily a labor leader who was concerned about illegal immigrants undercutting union members, either by accepting lower wages or crossing picket lines. He never pretended to be anything else, and he resisted attempts by others to widen his agenda. When he pulled workers out of the field during a strike, the last thing he wanted was to see a crew of illegal immigrant workers take away his leverage.

According to many historical accounts, Chavez ordered union members to call the Immigration and Naturalization Service and report illegal immigrants who were working in the fields so that they could be deported. Some UFW officials were also known to picket INS offices to demand a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

In the 70s, the UFW set up a "wet line" to stop undocumented Mexican immigrants from entering the United States.

Under the supervision of Chavez's cousin, Manuel, UFW members tried at first to persuade Mexicans not to cross the border. One time when that didn't work, they physically attacked and beat them up to scare them off, according to reports at the time. The Village Voice said that the UFW was engaged in a "campaign of random terror against anyone hapless enough to fall into its net." A couple of decades later, in their book "The Fight in the Fields," journalists Susan Ferris and Ricardo Sandoval recalled the border violence and wrote that the issue of illegal immigration was "particularly vexing" for Chavez.

UFW loyalists will never admit to this ugly history. But that doesn't change it.

And this is the person Obama is honoring today with a national monument? One immigration hardliner paying his respects to another. I guess, in some perverse way, that makes sense. But it won't make most Latino voters any more enthusiastic about re-electing Barack Obama.

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette.

Skydiver to jump from edge of space

Felix Baumgartner will have only a space suit, helmet and parachute for 120,000-foot jump
Record of 102,800 feet was set in 1960 and is held by current mission's consultant and mentor
Baumgartner also hopes to be first person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle's aid
Besides speed, risks include low temperatures, thin atmosphere, possible loss of consciousness

Roswell, New Mexico (CNN) -- Skydiver Felix Baumgartner is aiming to pull off a record-breaking free-fall jump from the edge of space Tuesday, wearing nothing but a space suit, a helmet and a parachute.

His goal is not only to jump from a higher altitude than anyone ever has -- 120,000 feet, more than three times the cruising altitude of the average airliner. He also hopes to be the first person to break the sound barrier, without the aid of anything besides the space suit. At that altitude, the thin air provides so little resistance that after just 40 seconds, he is expected to be free-falling faster than 690 miles an hour.

"I'm not nuts," Baumgartner said when CNN first interviewed him about the project in 2010. "You know, our records are meant to be broken, and I'm a very competitive person. I like the challenge."

But on a more serious note, he added, "Of course I'm afraid of dying, because I worked so hard to reach this level. You know, I'm living a good life. I think the most important thing I'm doing is to come back alive."

Watch man jump from 96,000 feet

After years of preparations and untold costs to his primary sponsor Red Bull, the jump is scheduled for Tuesday morning at dawn. Baumgartner expects to spend two or three hours on the ascent, in a capsule hanging from a helium balloon. Then he will climb out of his capsule, jump off the step with a bunny hop and form a crouched "delta" position to maximize his speed. He plans to fall 115,000 feet in less than five minutes, before deploying a parachute for the final 5,000 feet to earth.

The attempt has serious risks. He and his team have practiced how he can avoid getting trapped in a dangerous "horizontal spin." And at temperatures that could hit 70 degrees below zero Fahrenheit or lower, and an atmosphere so thin that his blood would vaporize if he were unprotected, his life will depend on the integrity of his pressure suit. And if he loses consciousness during the five-minute plunge, he will survive only if his parachute deploys automatically.

Another unknown: the effects on the body of breaking the sound barrier. While reaching such speeds can cause stress on an aircraft, planners for this jump believe that there will be little effect on Baumgartner, because he will be at an altitude at which there is so little air, shock waves are barely transmitted.

Baumgartner is an Austrian helicopter pilot and former soldier who has BASE jumped from landmarks like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. He has been preparing for five years -- both physically and mentally.

"You have to remember all the procedures," he said in an interview during testing for the jump. "You know you're in a really hostile environment. And you cannot think about anything else. You have to be focused. Otherwise, you're gonna die."

The balloon, over 500 feet tall at launch, is light and translucent. The material is only .0008 of an inch thick, and it will change shape and size as it rises. The pressurized helmet and suit, which restrict Baumgartner's mobility and weigh 100 pounds, have been equipped with sensors and recorders to measure everything from his speed to his heart rate. Cameras on the ground and on the capsule will transmit live images of his attempt.

Baumgartner was not doing interviews on the eve of the jump, but his performance coach Andy Walshe on Sunday described him as mentally well-prepared.

"He knows that he's rehearsed it and knows what to do," he said. "We want him in the right state of mind. We ask him to reflect on what he's done, what he's been through and what he's achieving for himself personally, so he can relax and focus."

The record is currently held by Col. Joe Kittinger, who in 1960 jumped from 102,800 feet as part of a U.S. Air Force mission. On this attempt, 52 years later, Kittinger is a consultant and mentor.

He has also been giving Baumgartner advice on what to expect. For example, he described what it feels like to fall through space when there is so little air: "There's no way you can tell how fast you're going, because there's no visual cues."

But Kittinger rejects any suggestion that he is jealous that Baumgartner is poised to beat his record.

"Oh no. I'm delighted," he told CNN recently. "He's advancing science, and he'll do a great job."

Ben-Gals cheerleader accepts plea deal, avoids jail

TODAY

Sarah Jones allegedly had a sexual relationship with one of her students while moonlighting as a Cincinatti Bengals cheerleader.

By Scott Stump, TODAY contributor

The former Cincinnati Ben-Gal cheerleader charged with having sex with an underage student will accept a plea deal with prosecutors in Kentucky to avoid jail time.

Sarah Jones, 26, allegedly began a sexual relationship with a student while she was working as a freshman English teacher at Dixie Heights High School in Crestview Hills, Ky., and also moonlighting as a cheerleader for the Cincinnati Bengals. She was facing charges of sex abuse of the first degree and sexual misconduct and custodial interference for alleged sexual contact she had with a student.

Jones, who stepped down from her job at the high school in November citing "personal reasons,'' pled guilty to the sexual misconduct and custodial interference charge.

Prosecutors agreed to the plea deal because the boy's family did not cooperate, according to a report by NBC affiliate WLWT. The Jones family and the victim's family had previously stated that they had been friends for a while. The trial was set to begin this week, and after the plea deal, Jones left the courtroom hand-in-hand with the 18-year-old with whom she was alleged to have had a sexual relationship.

Jones will not have to register as a sex offender and received a two-year suspended jail sentence in which she can avoid any jail time if she stays out of trouble for the next five years.

Jones' mother, Cheryl, also pled guilty to a charge of attempted tampering with physical evidence and received a one-year suspended sentence if she avoids trouble for two years.

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