Hours after Bill Cosby set foot in a Pennsylvania courtroom to face sexual assault charges, the comedian’s attorneys called the criminal case against him “unjustified” and vowed to fight it.
“The charge by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office came as no surprise, filed 12 years after the alleged incident and coming on the heels of a hotly contested election for this county’s DA during which this case was made the focal point,” Cosby’s attorneys said in a statement released after his arraignment Wednesday. “Make no mistake, we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that Mr. Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law.”
Cosby, whose legacy as a comedian has been tarnished by multiple accusations of sexual assault, faces three felony charges of aggravated indecent assault in the case,which is tied to a 2004 accusation in Montgomery County.
Looking frail in a gray sweater and carrying a cane, he walked arm and arm with attorneys into a courthouse there Wednesday and appeared to have difficulty seeing as he was guided to a courtroom seat.
The judge set his bail at $1 million and ordered him to surrender his passport. Cosby did not enter a plea. Asked whether he understood the proceedings, Cosby responded, “yes,” in a booming voice with a smile on his face.
Following the brief arraignment, Cosby went to the police station in Cheltenham Township, where he was booked per protocol. Cosby posted bail and left the police station.
The Legend is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand when she visited his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. A probable cause affidavit filed by investigators this week alleges that Cosby “sought to incapacitate” Constand by giving her a mix of pills and wine that sent her slipping in and out of consciousness and left her unable to consent to sexual activity.
Constand was the first person to publicly allege sexual assault by Cosby. The charges filed Wednesday are the first criminal charges levied against him since the allegations arose. Cosby has steadfastly denied wrongdoing.
In 2005, prosecutors declined to seek charges against Cosby in the case, citing insufficient evidence.
Montgomery County prosecutor Kevin Steele, who was elected to his post last month, said Wednesday that prosecutors looked at all the evidence in the 2004 allegations and decided to charge Cosby “because it was the right thing to do.”
Read more here: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/30/us/bill-cosby-sexual-assault-investigation-pennsylvania/index.html
Posted by Janice Johnson
