Sandusky Daughter-In-Law: He’s Not Safe For ‘Any Children’
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Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach charged with sexually abusing boys, arrives at the Centre County Courthouse for a bail conditions hearing, Feb. 10, 2012 in Bellefonte, Pa. (Nabil K. Mark/Centre Daily Times/AP Photo)
Jerry Sandusky’s former daughter-in-law today railed against a court ruling allowing the accused child molester to visit with his grandchildren, saying that Sandusky had inappropriately touched her son and she suspected he was grooming the boy for sexual abuse.
Jill Thomas, who was married to Sandusky’s son Matt, said she would continue to fight against Sandusky being allowed to visit with his grandchildren.
Earlier today, a judge in Centre County, Pa., granted Sandusky’s request for relaxed bail terms that allow him to visit with all of his grandchildren except for Thomas’s children, due to her objections.
“I do not believe it is safe for my children, or any children, to be around Jerry Sandusky,” Thomas said.
Sandusky, who is charged with 50 counts of molestation, said at last week’s hearing that his grandchildren had been begging to see or talk to “Pop” on the phone since he was arrested and placed under house arrest.
Jill Thomas said that she had fought today’s ruling. Thomas noted that she had tried to testify at the hearing last week but that her testimony was submitted instead as a written summary by the state attorney general to Judge John Cleland.
In an angry statement released today, Thomas said the summary did not accurately or completely reflect the danger Sandusky posed to children.
“Although I have kept silent up until now to protect my children and my family’s privacy, I can no longer keep silent about Jerry Sandusky’s request to be permitted to see my children,” Thomas said. “Shortly after news of the child sexual abuse criminal charges against Jerry Sandusky became public, my children reported to me that Jerry Sandusky, their grandfather, had inappropriately touched my son. I was devastated by this news.”
Thomas said she reported her son’s claim to authorities, who decided there was not enough evidence to charge Sandusky with a crime. But a psychologist who worked with her son after the revelation said Sandusky may have been grooming the boy for sexual abuse, Thomas said.
Sandusky’s attorney, Joe Amendola, did not return calls for comment.
The court ruling today also dismissed a request that Sandusky be banned from the deck in his backyard after neighbors said Sandusky was watching children from his deck.
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Sandusky can NOT control his sick urges. It does not matter to him who he hurts even his own grandkids. The judge needs to reconsider his decision and lock this man away until the trial. He should be forced to move out of the neighborhood where school children are playing.
Posted by: Janie Wilkey | February 13, 2012, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
Just because a judge rules he is allowed to have supervised visits with his grandchildren doesn’t mean the parents of those children have to allow their kids to go visit.
Posted by: NoSpin1600 | February 13, 2012, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
I find it interesting that a predator of young boys ended up adopting five sons.
Posted by: why | February 13, 2012, 7:21 pm 7:21 pm
The sick pervert should be in jail with the only visits he gets are from the cell block Bubba..
Posted by: Betty | February 13, 2012, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm
Jill, do whatever it takes to keep this criminal away from your kids.How ANYONE with the best interests of children at heart could agree to this is asinine, to say the least. Kind of makes me wonder about the private affairs of this so-called judge. I totally agree with NOSPIN1600, and if I were any of the parents, I would make damn sure that him having any sort of contact with my kids would be the LAST thing he ever did.
Posted by: Mobalajee | February 13, 2012, 10:38 pm 10:38 pm
How will his grandkids learn how to shower without grandpop teaching them?
Posted by: Brian P | February 13, 2012, 11:23 pm 11:23 pm
This should heighten the spotlight on how the rich and powerful are always treated special. If this was anyone else, they would never of even got bail, let alone “house arrest.” Plus the very thought of allowing this man around kids, when he is ON bail for molesting so many makes me look at the judges, and their ability to serve on the bench.
Posted by: Don Semora | February 14, 2012, 8:36 am 8:36 am
Thank goodness we’re not so naive in Cook County where all contact is forbidden unless and until the accused is cleared of all charges. I feel sorry for the mom to be put in the middle like that with a guy who is likely an EXPERT manipulator of children. Booooo….Pennsylvania. You sound like enablers on this issue!
Posted by: DiaKristy | February 14, 2012, 1:49 pm 1:49 pm
She sounds like a bitter woman to me. And Diakristy – it sounds like your county is unconstitutional. A person is this country is innocent until PROVEN guilty. Your county is punishing people who have not been convicted. I see a lawsuit in your county’s future.
Posted by: wryview | February 14, 2012, 3:07 pm 3:07 pm
Having been molested by MY Grandfather, step-father, birth father and Uncle I think this Judge should be brought to trial for allowing these children to be seen by Sandusky…these people have sick urges they CANNOT or WILL NOT fight…if ANYTHING happens to these kids while around this moster the Judge should be imprisoned in the same cell as this pervert…These people are DESTOYERS of lives….Doesn’t anybody care ?????
Posted by: tjm47 | February 15, 2012, 11:30 am 11:30 am
Wow….Don’t any of you in America teach your children to say NO….???? I thank the Creator who born me in Asia..
Seems to me that the major trauma to the child is caused by all the media attention rather than the act itself….
This happens everywhere in the World to some degree….That does not make it right or wrong to everyone in every country…
Throughout history pedophilia is written of and without very much attention…. it seems to be not much of an issue…. but why is it such a sensationally horrible crime in USA…?? Even more so than killing and torture…
I read of all the killings and torture of your own children and this truly does sicken me…this is horrific to my mind….
I feel the difference may be in our fundamental differences in Religious beliefs…As a Buddhist I abhor
the killing that goes on in such an otherwise beautiful country….
From America the Beautiful to America the Pitiful…
Posted by: asiaman | February 17, 2012, 8:45 am 8:45 am
What obviously the judges do not know is that the main target for older pedomonsters are their grandchildren.
Posted by: Maz hess | February 18, 2012, 1:44 am 1:44 am
He is a sick man, and so is the judge. Oblivious to the needs of victims and uneducated as to the ways of pedophiles, clearly the judge should be in prison with sandusky and the wife. Thank god someone is speaking up against this vile man.
Posted by: christina | February 18, 2012, 2:36 am 2:36 am
TJM47, pedophilia is WRONG no matter what country you’re in or what society you’re from. A child doesn’t understand the powerful feelings that result from sexual contact (even if there’s no mental attraction); they can’t consent to something they don’t understand. Granted, pedophilia has been present in many societies, throughout history … but that doesn’t mean it’s right. And did you know in ancient Greece, many victims of pedophila admitted they didn’t like what was being done to them — although it was socially sanctioned?
As for teaching children to say no, a grown adult can easily overpower a child, even if the child says “no.” Also, in the main, pedophiles select their victims from unhealthy situations — broken homes, abuse, neglect — and “groom” them with presents, candy, attention, etc. etc. A child from those kinds of situations doesn’t know unhealthy or false love; of COURSE they’re not going to say no. (And if the pedophile is found out, very often the CHILD is blamed for instigating such stuff … which is even worse.)
The torture and killing of children here in the U.S. IS a horrible crime to us, and gets just as much attention as pedophilia. To my mind, both these situations are horrifying and sickening, and deserve severe punishment. I sincerely hope Sandusky is punished long and well for what he’s done — and that his victims get the counseling and support they need.
Posted by: KMCLINE | February 18, 2012, 10:36 am 10:36 am
Wow a documented child predator and child raping pedophile is allowed to see grand-children that aren’t biologically his? Talk about a screwed up justice system. All the victims in this case were brave enough to give their statements of their horrific encounters with Sandusky yet it seems to me that Penn State and the State are rallying behind Sandusky which is completely preposterous. This story was something that was swept under the rug decades ago and was reported by adults who witnessed some of his disgusting raping and yet no one would do anything about it until decades of damage was done. Penn State and the government in Pennsylvania are like the Devils advocate.
Posted by: Jade | February 18, 2012, 3:41 pm 3:41 pm
There are no specifics about the alleged “inappropriate touching” so we can’t even determine if it was inappropriate.
The article doesn’t mention that all the other parents involved have no problems with supervised visits and that Jill Thomas is in a custody battle for her children.
It also fails to mention that the children in question want to see Sandusky and the court-appointed advocate asked the court to allow supervised visits.
Posted by: TimB | February 19, 2012, 8:51 am 8:51 am
Don’t let him near your kids then. I don’t think the judge’s ruling means you would be forced to allow the visit. If he showed up, lock the doors and call 911. Or leave em unlocked and put 2 in the chest when he comes in and do the world a favor.
Posted by: Sean | February 20, 2012, 8:22 pm 8:22 pm
Kudos Jill! Keep your babies away from this monster. Family or not, protecting your children by whatever cost comes first. If your kids father doesn’t like it, tought cookies bud. And shame on that judge for allowing ANY type of visitation to this man. His days of spending time with children should be OVER! WHAT IS HE THINKING?!
@WHY…I was thinking the same thing.
Posted by: Court | February 23, 2012, 10:15 am 10:15 am