Worker at U.S. Embassy in Yemen killed

Yemeni protesters try to break through the US embassy in Sanaa during a protest on September 13. The man was a Yemeni national Protesters stormed the embassy in September They were angry about a video maligning Prophet Mohammed (CNN) -- A Yemeni national employed as a senior security official at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa was shot dead Thursday on his way to work, interior ministry officials said. The embassy has been in the news recently after crowds stormed it during protests. Hundreds of protesters gathered in September in front of the embassy to protest the video "Innocence of Muslims," which maligns the Prophet Mohammed. The demonstration turned violent, and some protesters broke into the embassy in the capital city of Sanaa. Clashes between security forces and demonstrators left at least four protesters dead and more than 30 people injured.

U.S. sends troops to monitor Syrian chemical weapons

A portrait of al-Assad sits on rubble along a street in the Saif al-Dawla district of the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday NEW: A senior Jordanian military official disputes Leon Panetta's account U.S. defense chief says 150 special forces troops are in Jordan The United States is concerned about Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles, he says Analysts: Syria is believed to have one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons (CNN) -- The United States deployed troops to Jordan to help monitor Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons and determine what efforts to take if violence spreads to neighboring nations, the U.S. defense chief said. The announcement follows recent news that President Bashar al-Assad's forces moved some of the weapons for security reasons. Reports have emerged that rebels are focusing their efforts on capturing some of the storage sites. "We continue to be concerned about security at those sites," U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Wednesday after a meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels, Belgium. "We want to ensure that security is maintained and we want to be very sure that those (weapons) do not fall into the wrong hands." Roughly 150 U.S. Army special operations soldiers have been working with Jordanian forces to monitor the chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria while trying to determine how to respond should an issue arise, according to the defense chief. "We have a group of our forces there, working to help them build a headquarters and to ensure that we make the relationship between the United States and Jordan a strong one so we can deal with all of the possible consequences," Panetta said. "We've also been working with them to try to develop their own military and operational capabilities in the event of any contingency there." A senior Jordanian military official denied Panetta's claims, according to state-run PETRA news agency. The American troops are in the country for an annual training exercise, the official from the Jordanian armed forces general command told the news agency. There has been a growing international concern about the fate of the weapons should the civil war escalate or fall into the hands of rebels. President Barack Obama warned al-Assad and "other players on the ground" -- presumably rebels -- that any attempt to move or use the chemical and biological weapons would be crossing a "red line" and prompt a swift U.S. military response. The United States also has been working with Turkey as part of its effort to monitor the weapons sites. "They are obviously concerned about the (weapons storage) sites as well," Panetta said. "So we've worked with them to do what we can to monitor the situation." Syria is believed to have one of the "largest and most advanced chemical warfare program in the Arab world," said Michael Eisenstadt, director of the military and security studies program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In other developments: Turkey's foreign minister defends search Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended the search of an airplane en route from Moscow to Damascus, saying Turkey would not allow weapons for the Syrian government to be transported through its airspace. "We are resolutely ready to control weapons supplies to the regime, which kills the civilian population," Davutoglu said Thursday. "We are against having our airspace used for such purpose." His comments followed reports that Russia was demanding answers from Turkey. There were 17 Russians aboard the plane, according to state-run Itar-Tass news agency. Turkey forced the airliner to land Wednesday in Ankara, saying it had received intelligence that the plane was carrying weapons bound for Syria. Turkish officials seized 10 boxes believed to be parts for military communications equipment, according to TRT, an official Turkish news agency. The plane was allowed to leave for Syria a short time later, TRT reported. Syria's transportation minister, Mahoumd Ibrahim Said, described the forced landing as an act of piracy, in a telephone interview with Lebanon's Hezbollah-run Al Manar TV. Tensions between Turkey and Syria have boiled over in recent months, with Istanbul accusing Damascus of shelling its border towns where thousands of refugees have fled from the fighting. Turkish forces fired in retaliation and authorized its troops to venture beyond its borders. Syria and Turkey once enjoyed warm relations that included visa-free travel and robust trade between the countries. But relations ruptured as al-Assad's government waged its bloody and unrelenting crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. Russia, a trade partner of Syria, and China have repeatedly blocked U.N. Security Council efforts to try to end the carnage. Russia's Foreign Ministry has said the conflict must be decided by the Syrian people. Opposition: Homs under fire Al-Assad's forces shelled the flashpoint city of Homs in western Syria early Thursday for a third day, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Government troops and rebels have battled on-and-off for control of the city in the months following the start of the conflict. At least three government troops were killed and a number of rebels were wounded in the latest reports of fighting, the Syrian Observatory said. At least 18 people were killed in fighting across Syria on Thursday, including five in Homs, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported. CNN can't confirm reports of violence or casualty counts as access to the country by international journalists has been severely restricted. CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali contributed to this report.

Ex-Peace Corps worker jailed for Africa child abuse

By NBCConnecticut.com and wire reports A former Peace Corps volunteer, who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing several children under the age of 6 while working at an AIDS center in South Africa, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jesse Osmun, 32, of Glen Street in Milford, was a volunteer at the Umvoti AIDS Center in Greytown, South Africa, where he worked in the preschool after becoming a Peace Corps volunteer in 2010, authorities said. While volunteering at the preschool, Osmun sexually molested the girls -- who referred to him as "uncle" -- and gave them candy in exchange, according to documents. "Instead of promoting peace and providing much needed assistance consistent with the mission of the Peace Corps, this volunteer took advantage of his position and sexually abused vulnerable young children at an AIDS center pre-school in South Africa," U.S. Attorney David Fein said in a statement. Osmun admitted that he engaged in acts with one of his victims twice per week for about five months. 'No refuge' for sex predators After serving his sentence, Osmum will be subject to 10 years of supervised release. The Umvoti center is a non-governmental organization that provides support for those affected by the AIDS virus. Read more from NBCConnecticut.com It also provides education, food and services for children between the ages of 3 and 15. "As this sentence demonstrates, there will be no refuge for child sexual predators who believe that they can victimize children outside the United States," Peter Vincent, director of Homeland Security Investigation's Office of International Affairs, said. "No place is too distant or too remote to escape the attention of HSI special agents, who conduct these types of investigations worldwide," he added. Osmun was arrested at his house on Aug. 4, 2011 and has been detained since. In June, Osmun waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of traveling from the United States to South Africa to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children and admitted that he sexually abused four minor girls while he was a volunteer with the United States Peace Corps. Peace Corps set up victims' fund Osmun resigned from the Peace Corps after being confronted by the Umvoti center's program director about the allegations and admitting to having a sexual attraction to children and engaging in sex acts with some minors. The Peace Corps has said it was made aware of the allegations after Osmun resigned in May 2011. The agency has condemned Osmun's actions as "reprehensible" and agreed to contribute $20,000 to a fund for the victims. Read more US stories from NBC News Peace Corps volunteers, who are provided with a living allowance and receive transition funds after they complete 27 months of service, provide hands-on assistance in areas including health education, information technology and environmental preservation. The Peace Corps has sent more than 200,000 Americans to serve in 139 countries. Osmun apologized in court to the victims, his family and the Peace Corps. He said he struggles with feelings of guilt and shame and acknowledged that his victims will live with the scars of abuse forever. "I sometimes wish I could take my brain out and wash it of all the memories I have," Osmun said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com: Doping agency claims proof of cheating by cyclist Armstrong Death of cockroach-eating contest winner in Florida puzzles experts University official put on leave for signing anti-gay marriage petition Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth: What more can be done? Video: Rape victim: I was 'shocked' at computer subpoena Florida woman fends off attack from 'Mystery Monkey' Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Cops looking for missing girl find body, unclear if her

By NBC News staff and wire reports Police searching for missing Colorado girl Jessica Ridgeway said late Wednesday that they had found a body, but it was unclear whether it was the 10-year-old. AP Jessica Ridgeway disappeared while making the short walk to school Friday. The body was removed from Pattridge Park in Arvada -- an area dotted with abandoned coal mines -- by Westminster Police just before 9 p.m. Wednesday (11 p.m. ET), NBC station KMBC reported. Westminster Police spokesperson Trevor Materasso did not release the gender or approximate age of the body, the station said. Police confirmed the discovery of the body to NBC News and said a statement would be issued at 6:30 a.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET). Earlier Wednesday, authorities said they believed Jessica, a fifth-grader with blond hair and glasses who loves math and gym class, had been abducted. She disappeared Friday on what should have been a short walk to school. After initially saying that the public didn't need to fear a kidnapper, the police said they were investigating whether Jessica's case might be related to that of another girl who was abducted for several hours Monday in Cody, Wyoming. In that case, a man lured the 11-year-old girl into a sport utility vehicle, saying he needed help finding his puppy. The girl was released four hours later and was discovered by hunters. Police there are looking for a white man, between 55 and 60 years old, with short, strawberry-blond or white hair and a neatly trimmed mustache. In Colorado, the parents of a missing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway open up for the first time since their daughter disappeared on her way to school. They vow to "never stop looking." NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports. Police explore link between missing Colorado girl and Wyoming abduction Westminster police spokeswoman Karlyn Tilley noted there is "no specific connection" between Jessica's disappearance and the Wyoming case. "It's just like everything else they're looking at," Tilley said Wednesday. "They just don't want to leave any stone unturned." Adding to the mystery was a reported sighting more than 2,000 miles away in Dexter, Maine. Police release new photos, video in search for missing Colorado girl A woman reported seeing a girl who looked like Jessica on Sunday, in a blue Buick station wagon with Colorado plates. Authorities issued a statewide alert for officers to stop any blue Buick station wagons with Colorado plates, Dexter police Sgt. Alan Grinnell said. Citizens also have passed on tips from Maryland, Texas and Nevada, Materasso said. Kathryn Scott Osler / The Denver Post via AP After giving the interview, Jessica's mother Sarah Ridgeway and father, Jeremiah Bryant, embrace at the Westminster Police Department Tuesday. Backpack, water bottle found Police in the Denver suburb of Westminster repeatedly have urged the public to study the details of Jessica's face in a photo — a small, gap-toothed grin, a slight bruise on her nose — and a short home video, in hopes they may have seen something or come across the girl. They've thanked thousands of Coloradans and others for helping with a search they have insisted is focused on the area surrounding Jessica's home. The only real clue police have revealed is the discovery over the weekend of a backpack and water bottle that Jessica had with her when she disappeared. The items were found in the town of Superior, some six miles from her home. Police won't discuss what was found in the bag or testing results on it. The search for Jessica went national, thanks in part to social media and a Facebook page set up to help find the girl. "Do your good deed of the day and retweet Jessica's photo," hundreds of Tweets urged Wednesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. More content from NBCNews.com: Doping agency claims proof of cheating by cyclist Armstrong Death of cockroach-eating contest winner in Florida puzzles experts University official put on leave for signing anti-gay marriage petition Suicide is epidemic for American Indian youth: What more can be done? Video: Rape victim: I was 'shocked' at computer subpoena Florida woman fends off attack from 'Mystery Monkey' Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Giant aerospace-defense merger fails

A $45 billion deal for EADS and BAE Systems to merge has collapsed The deal had struggled against political and shareholder opposition to salvage plans The deal was complicated by the desire of France and Germany to retain political influence London (CNN) -- EADS and BAE Systems have dropped plans to merge after failing to win political support for a $45 billion deal that would have created a European aerospace and defense giant. "It has become clear that the interests of the parties' government stakeholders cannot be adequately reconciled with each other or with the objectives that BAE Systems and EADS established for the merger," the companies said in a statement Wednesday. Read more detail: CNNMoney France and Germany were keen to retain political influence in a merged company, a stance Britain believed would have put at risk BAE's privileged access to military contracts in the United States. EADS, BAE complex merger canceled EADS, BAE complex merger canceled Barry Norris, founding partner of Argonaut Capital Partners, an investor in EADS, told CNN: "we think today's decision to terminate merger talks is actually a triumph for common sense and shareholder value." He added: "It's easy to forget that these are companies owned by their shareholders." Watch: What went wrong? A merger would have brought together the maker of Airbus planes with Europe's largest arms manufacturer and created a global rival to U.S. defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Several British lawmakers, including Conservative Member of Parliament Ben Wallace, wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month, raising concerns about the deal. BAE and EADS believed that together they would be able to generate stronger growth by achieving a better revenue balance between civil aviation and defense, but that commercial rationale was challenged by some major investors. "We are obviously disappointed that we were unable to reach an acceptable agreement with our various government stakeholders," BAE Systems Chief Executive Ian King said. CNNMoney's Mark Thompson and CNN's Jim Boulden and Irene Chapple contributed to this report

Sandusky, wife write letters, casting blame on others

Ex-Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested in November 2011 on charges that he preyed on boys he met through the Second Mile charity. In June 2012, he was convicted of 45 counts involving 10 young victims. He hasn't b een sentenced yet but likely will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Sandusky's defense has said he will appeal. In July 2012, the NCAA imposed sanctions against Penn State, including a $60 million fine, scholarship reductions, the vacating of 112 wins, five years' probation and a bowl ban for four years. Penn State University head football coach Joe Paterno on the sidelines during a 2004 game. Paterno's legacy was tarnished in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal. The fallout included NCAA sanctions in July 2012 that struck 111 of Paterno's 409 wins from the record book. The stripped victories stretched back to 1998 and removed Paterno' s crown as winningest college football coach in history. He died of cancer in January. Head coach Jim Tressel with his Ohio State Buckeyes at the 2011 Sugar Bowl. Tressel admitted he knew several star players were trading memorabilia for cash and tattoos in violation of NCAA rules. The NCAA banned the Buckeyes from postseason play for the upcoming season, and OSU voluntarily vacated all 2010 wins. Tressel "resigned" in May 2011, a move OSU later deemed a retirement. University of Miami quarterback Jacory Harris throws a pass during a 2011game. Harris was one of 13 Hurricanes initially ruled ineli gible after the NCAA began investigating allegations by Nevin Shapiro, an imprisoned former booster, that he for eight years provided 72 athletes with benefits that violated NCAA rules. Shapiro is incarcerated for running a $930 million Ponzi scheme. After Miami petitioned for the players' reinstatements, one player was vindicated, while the other 12, including Harris, were reinstated after serving suspensions and/or paying restitution. The investigation into the Shapiro scandal is ongoing. Reggie Bush of the University of Southern California carries the ball past Fresno State's Matt Davis in 2005. The NCAA announced sanctions in June 2010 against USC, finding that Bush and basketball star O.J. Mayo had received lavish gifts. Bush voluntarily forfeited his Heisman Trophy, while USC was given four years' probation, stripped of 30 scholarships and had to vacate 14 wins, including a national championship. Members of the Duke men's lacrosse team listen to the national anthem at their season opener in 2007. In 2006, members of the team hired stripper Crystal Mangum for a party, and she accused three players of raping her. The scandal forced the cancellation of the men's lacrosse season that year and the resignation of team coach Mike Pres sler. The allegations later proved to be false, and prosecutor Mike Nifong was disbarred for ethics violations. The NCAA has found the University of Alabama football program in violation of its rules at least three times in the l ast two decades. The most notable incident came in 2000 when a booster paid a high school coach to steer a recruit to the Crimson Tide. An investigation found numerous other violations, and Alabama was placed on five years' probation, among other sanctions. In 1995, the NCAA forced Alabama to vacate wins after it learned coaches were aware one of the school's All-Americans had secretly signed with an agent, and in 2009 the university was sanctioned for misuse of its textbook distribution program by 16 athletic programs, including football. Jim Harrick Sr., then head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs, yells from the sidelines during the 2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Harrick resigned as UGA's head basketball coach in 2003 after his son, Jim Harrick Jr., was accused of giving an A to three basketball players who didn' t attend class and paying a phone bill for one of them. The NCAA punished UGA with four years' probation, and the school was forced to vacate 30 wins from 2001-2003. Baylor University basketball player Carlton Dotson reaches for the ball against Montana State in a 2002 game. In June 2003, Baylor's Patrick Dennehy went missing. Dotson confessed to killing him a nd was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The NCAA later determined that Coach Dave Bliss had instructed his players to lie to investigators and tell them that Dennehy dealt drugs to cover up the coach paying thousands of dollars of Dennehy's tuition. The NCAA put the school on probation until June 2010. It also was banned from playing nonconference games for a season. Chris Webber strolls upcourt during a home game in 1993. Webber pleaded guilty in 2003 to being paid by a University of Michigan booster to launder money from an illegal gambling operation. The NCAA put the program on four years' probation and banned the team from postseason play for the 2003-04 season. Charged with lying to federal investigator s, Webber pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal contempt and paid a $100,000 fine. The Southern Methodist University football team warms up in 1988, two years after a scandal broke that SMU boosters had been giving football players thousands of dollars from a slush fund with university officials' knowledge. In what was the first and last time it gave the "dea th penalty" to a football program, the NCAA suspended SMU from playing its 1987 season and banned it from recruiting. The school also was not allowed to play at home in the 1988 season and lost dozens of scholarships. Bill Musselman watches court action during a 1990 NBA game as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 1975, Musselman left as head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. The NCAA later found 127 violations from his four-year tenure at the school, including direct payment to players for rent and transportation. Kentucky celebrates the 2012 national championship in April. Sixty years earlier, the NCAA opened an investigation into the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program, following a n ational championship season in which three players had been arrested in a point-shaving scandal. The subsequent probe revealed that 10 players had received impermissible financial aid. The NCAA banned the school's entire athletic program from playing for a year -- in effect, marking the advent of the so-called "death penalty," even though the penalty wasn't given the nickname until the 1980s. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 In letters to judge, Sanduskys portray themselves as virtuous victims The letters all but guaranteed a maximum punishment, legal observers say "Sentencing is a time to ask for mercy, not to attack others," one expert says Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- When all was said and done, Jerry and Dottie Sandusky did not ask the judge for mercy. They did not try to extol Jerry's virtues, list good deeds or express regret. Instead, they depicted the boys he sexually assaulted as ungrateful and called them liars. They blamed the young men -- including their own adopted son, Matt, who now claims he, too, was molested -- for their downfall. In letters to the judge who would sentence the former coach, the Sanduskys portrayed themselves as virtuous victims of a vast conspiracy. They blamed powerful, image-conscious forces at Penn State University, lying cops, ambitious prosecutors and a scandal-hungry news media. Was Sandusky's sentence harsh enough? Prosecutor: Sandusky was delusional Allred: Sandusky statements 'desperate' Sandusky lawyer: Didn't have enough time Victims angrily confront Sandusky at sentencing The couple's letters were mentioned in court on Tuesday but not read aloud. Judge John Cleland and the Centre County courts made them public, and CNN obtained copies. In them, Jerry Sandusky expressed little sympathy for the 10 boys he was convicted of molesting. As he wrote about their families, he tried to shift the blame, pointing out that the boys came from unstable homes. "Nobody mentioned the impact of abandonment, neglect, abuse, insecurity and conflicting messages that the biological parents might have had in this," he wrote. He said nothing about the damaged lives and institutions his molestation case left in its wake. Instead, both Sanduskys wrote that the justice system let them down. Just as letters to one of the boys he was accused of molesting helped secure his conviction, the letters to the judge all but guaranteed a maximum punishment, legal observers say. Cleland, who presided over the trial and sentenced Sandusky on Tuesday to 30 to 60 years in prison, noted that others wrote letters as well. But he indicated that he considered only the Sanduskys' letters in handing down a sentence that, for a 68-year-old man, is likely to be a life prison term. Victim to Sandusky: 'Because of you, I trust no one' "Sentencing is a time to ask for mercy, not to attack others," said Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who teaches legal ethics at Loyola Law School. "In my experience, judges really hate letters that try to shift the blame to others or which belittle the victims or the court." B.J. Bernstein, an Atlanta attorney who comments on legal matters for CNN, agreed that Sandusky didn't do himself any favors. "The old adage 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all' applies to sentencing statements," Bernstein said. "It is awkward when you deny you are culpable and a jury says otherwise. For appellate purposes Sandusky was never going to accept responsibility or admit doing something wrong, but lashing out at everyone so strongly was irrational and certainly could not have been done to persuade the judge." She added that Sandusky might have thought he was still playing to his Penn State fan base, but it backfired. "Between Jerry and Dottie's vicious protestations of innocence," Bernstein said, "all I can think is the victims -- and in particular their son Matt -- should shout back the lyrics from the Eric Clapton song, 'Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.'" Sandusky's son comes forward as victim Jerry Sandusky bashed victims and laid out the conspiracy theory in a pre-recorded interview leaked to a campus radio station on the eve of his sentencing. He hinted at it again when he spoke in court on Tuesday, after being warned by his lawyers to avoid criticizing his victims or the justice system. His performances on air and in the courtroom were widely derided by prosecutors, legal analysts and commentators as narcissistic, self-absorbed and self-defeating. Jerry Sandusky's letter expanded on the rambling, 15-minute courtroom soliloquy that touched on everything from the writer Henry David Thoreau to "special inmate friends" to wet kisses from dogs. Like that speech, it was part locker room pep talk and part Sunday school inspirational, with a heaping side order of the Frank Sinatra ballad "My Way." He wrote about life in protective custody, and how it led him to think about all the interests that were being protected as the case unfolded: "The system protected the system, the media, the prosecution, the civil attorneys and the accusers. Everybody protected themselves," he wrote. "Penn State, with its own system, protected their public image," he continued. "Media protected their jobs and ambitions. Prosecutors protected their jobs and egos. The accusers were protected and provided access to potential financial gain, free attorneys, accolades, psychologists and attention." McQueary files lawsuit against Penn State He wrote that he was heartbroken. "My trust in people, systems and fairness has diminished," he said. "In my heart I know I did not do these disgusting acts. However, I didn't tell the jury. Our son changed our plans when he switched sides." Matt Sandusky was 18 when he was adopted by the Sanduskys after spending time with them in foster care. The relationship always has been rocky, but it collapsed near the end of Sandusky's trial in June. As the prosecution's case drew to a close, Matt told investigators that Sandusky had molested him, too. Matt Sandusky, now 33, did not testify for either side, but Jerry Sandusky insists that his adopted son's desertion and potentially damaging testimony kept him from testifying in his own defense. The Sanduskys spared no one. "There were so many people involved in the orchestration of this conviction (media, investigators, prosecutors, "the system," Penn State and the accusers.) It was well done. They won!" Jerry Sandusky wrote, as if a tragic court case about molested children was an epic gridiron contest. "When I thought about how it had transpired, I wondered what they had won," he continued. "I thought of the methods, decisions and allegations. I relived the inconsistencies and dishonest testimonies." He pondered what would happen if the tables were turned. When the hero falls off the pedestal: The emotion of betrayal "What would be the outcome if all the accusers and their families who were investigated?" he wrote. "I knew the answer. All their issues would surface. They would no longer be these poor, innocent people as portrayed." Dottie Sandusky also wrote of her disappointment, saying she has lost faith in the police and the legal system. "To think that they can lie and get by with the lies. The press has been unbelievable. People who have not met us are writing untruths." Dottie Sandusky's letter is revealing because she has stood silently by her husband in court. She testified at his trial that she never heard or saw anything strange or sexual going on in the basement of their home, where many of the victims say her husband molested them. In her letter, she unloaded on her adopted son, Matt. "People need to know what kind of person he is," she wrote. "We have forgiven him many times for all he has done to our family, thinking that he was changing his life, but he would always go back to his stealing and lies. He has been diagnose (sic) Bipolar, but he refuses to take his medicine." Records from Centre County's probation department and juvenile courts tell part of the story of how Matt H., as he was known, came to the Sanduskys. Like the boys who testified against Sandusky at the trial, Matt participated in Sandusky's youth mentoring program, The Second Mile. Jerry Sandusky was in Southern California, preparing for the Rose Bowl, when Matt was arrested in 1995. Sandusky called personally and pulled strings to make sure Matt was placed under his care and not sent to juvenile detention. Opinion: For the victims, it's about more than locking him up The court documents detail Matt's continuing troubles, including an aspirin overdose in March 1996 that is characterized as a suicide attempt. But he maintained that he wanted to stay in the Sandusky home, writing to the court, "I feel that they have supported me even when I have messed up. They are a loving, caring group of people. They have showed me what a family is really like." In another instance, Sandusky called police to his house, claiming a burglar was trying to break in. It was Matt, who said he had come to the house for a power tool. Matt Sandusky now is represented by a law firm in State College that is handling the cases of several other Sandusky molestation victims. His lawyer, Justine Andronici, did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment on the letters. Dottie Sandusky wrote that her adopted son "has had many run-ins with the law and stolen money and items from our family. We still love him and want the best for him, but because of his actions we cannot express this to him. ..." Karl Rominger, a lawyer for Sandusky, also did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the State Attorney General's office said prosecutors "stand by" what they said Tuesday about Sandusky's victim and system bashing. Joseph McGettigan described Sandusky's behavior as "banal, self-delusional, completely untethered from reality. It was entirely-self-focused, as if he himself were the victim." Jerry Sandusky trial: All you need to know about allegations, how case unfolded