Dave Freed, the GOP candidate for state Attorney General, said any responsible prosecutor would commit to reviewing how the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case was investigated and prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office.
The case has become a political football, even as Sandusky headed to court to receive his sentence, but Freed, the Cumberland County District Attorney, said his answer has not changed regarding the Sandusky case.
“In a case like this, I understand that people could say things should have happened faster, why did it take so long, why did they use a grand jury—I understand that question very clearly, and I’ve been consistent on the record saying that you can’t have a one-size-fits-all solution,” Freed said.
He said when high-profile defendants are involved, cases must be built slowly, with as much corroboration as possible.
Freed’s Democratic opponent, Kathleen Kane, has also made reviewing the Sandusky case probe a top priority if elected. The former prosecutor of Lackawanna County has said she would look into whether political considerations explain why the investigation went on for years before charges were filed against the former Penn State football defensive coordinator.
Freed said Kane has tried to blame his campaign for the ad, which he said disappoints him because it contained inaccurate information.
“I don’t believe that it’s the position of either campaign to call on these outside groups to act. I can’t coordinate with these outside groups. I didn’t have anything to do with this ad. And I’ve said clearly that I would hope that any ad that’s run will be factual,” Freed said.
The original ad was paid for by the national group, the Republican State Leadership Committee. It accuses Kane of falsely beefing up her resume as a Lackawanna County prosecutor and being involved in two cases in which two convicted rapists received minimal sentences. A revised version began airing that portrayed Kane faulting other prosecutors for the light plea deals.
