Jerry Sandusky's Second Mile Charity Folds

Mark Wilson/Getty Images(STATE COLLEGE, Pa.) -- The charity for at-risk youth started by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is shutting down.

The charges against Jerry Sandusky tainted The Second Mile, the charity through which he met the children he allegedly abused.  The Second Mile thrived because of Sandusky's largess, but after his arrest donations, volunteers and referrals stopped and its CEO faced questions of whether he covered up the abuse allegations.  

The charity has started the legal process to dissolve itself and allow another organization to take over.  

Sandusky is set to go on trial next month.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Jerry Sandusky's Charity Now Refusing Contributions

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General(HARRISBURG, Pa.) -- Since former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged earlier this month with 40 counts of molesting at least eight boys over a 15-year period, the charity he co-founded has come under heavy scrutiny, especially since reports have said the former assistant football coach met many of his victims through it.

With hopes of staying a viable charity on the ropes, The Second Mile is asking that contributions now be made to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.

That doesn't mean at-risk children will be totally abandoned -- The Second Mile will continue its programs through the end of the month while its board decides whether to restructure the charity or just end operations.

Meanwhile, attorneys for the alleged victims are trying to keep The Second Mile from unloading its assets in the event they come after the charity with expected lawsuits seeking damages.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Judge Who Set Penn State Sex Abuse Suspect Free Without Bail Volunteered for Him

Patrick Smith/Getty Images(STATE COLLEGE, PA) -- The judge who let Jerry Sandusky return home without paying any bail and without an ankle monitor after he was arrested on 40 counts of child sexual assault, was a volunteer at Sandusky's charity, The Second Mile.

Sandusky turned himself in to District Judge Leslie Dutchcot's office on Nov. 5, after a 23-page grand jury presentment detailing the allegations against Sandusky was accidentally posted online on Nov. 4, according to the attorney general's office.

Despite prosecutors' request for $500,000 bail and an ankle monitor to be placed on Sandusky, Dutchcot ordered Sandusky freed on $100,000 unsecured bail, only to be paid if Sandusky failed to show up for court.

The Second Mile charity is listed as one of a handful of organizations Dutchcot volunteers for in a biography on her law firm's website.

The Patriot News reported Monday that Dutchcot only volunteered a few times in 2008 and 2009, after Sandusky had stopped participating in the Second Mile, according to a source.

Judge Dutchot did not return calls for comment.

Christopher Mallios, an attorney with AEquitas, part of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, said that having unsecured bail is extremely unusual for a defendant charged with a high number of serious crimes.

Mallios said that in his work in the Philadelphia District Attorney's office there was always concern over whether a defendant who had a position of authority within the community or financial means would receive preferential treatment.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio