Judge who granted Sandusky’s bail also gave to his charity

A judge who granted unsecured bail to former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky also donated money to the charity he founded.

The charity is at the center of child sex-abuse charges against Sandusky.

District Judge Leslie Dutchcot gave money to The Second Mile in 2009 and volunteered for the group, according to annual reports and her web page. The charity’s 2009 annual report says Dutchcot and her husband donated between $500 and $999 to The Second Mile.

Dutchcot didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether she’ll recuse herself from the case because of those past ties. The judge set bail for Sandusky at $100,000 but he did not have to post collateral.

The Attorney General’s office declined to say if prosecutors would ask Dutchcot to recuse herself from Sandusky’s preliminary hearing.