Sandusky lawyer ends bid to drop charges
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 5 (UPI) -- The lawyer for former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky Thursday withdrew his request that child sex abuse charges against Sandusky be dropped.
Joe Amendola, Sandusky's lawyer, withdrew his pretrial requests, including that charges be dropped, but reserved the right to refile them, the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News reported.
The pretrial hearing was at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte.
Sandusky, 68, faces 52 criminal charges for alleged sexually abusing 10 boys during a 15-year span. He is confined to home while awaiting trial and has repeatedly denied the charges.
Other requests in the all-inclusive pretrial motion included whether to allow prosecutors to use items from a search of Sandusky's home and whether Sandusky should be provided more information about the details of the allegations.
Also, motions to suppress evidence were withdrawn when the defense said a search warrant and tapped phone calls were legal, the Patriot-News reported.
Prosecutor Joseph McGettigan III told the judge the grand jury investigation was still ongoing and uncharged crimes would not be introduced at trial, the State College Centre Daily Times reported. McGettigan also said prosecutor won't introduce at trial any grand jury testimony it kept from the defense by citing grand jury secrecy.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors agreed that prospective jurors should be questioned individually and sequestered during the trial. Judge John Cleland did not rule on those matters.
Sandusky's trial is June 5.
Meanwhile, Penn State trustees and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett say the governor did not order trustees to fire late head football coach Joe Paterno.
Cilic, Nalbandian get heavy Davis Cup duty
BUENOS AIRES, April 5 (UPI) -- Croat Marin Cilic and Argentine David Nalbandian have both been given three matches in their upcoming best-of-five Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Cilic and Nalbandian are to open the series Friday with a singles match and have been penciled in as members of their countries' doubles teams, which play Saturday.
Nalbandian was given the assignment in the second singles match Sunday, a match that could decide the series.
The Croatian team has traveled to Buenos Aires for the series, which will be played on an outdoor red clay court. They are playing for a chance to meet either the Czech Republic of Serbia in the Davis Cup semifinals Sept. 14-16.
Argentina has won both times the teams met previously in Davis Cup play but both series were 3-2. Nalbandian won two points in the countries' 2006 series.
Nalbandian takes a 4-0 lifetime record versus Cilic into Friday's match. World No. 10 Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro goes against Ivo Karlovic in the second singles match.
Nalbandian is to team with Eduardo Schwank for the doubles match against Cilic and Lovro Zovko. Cilic and del Potro are to open Sunday's play with Karlovic and Nalbandian scheduled for the fifth match of the series.
Torii Hunter says police held gun on him
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 5 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Angels right-fielder Torii Hunter says police held him at gunpoint in his Newport Beach home after his burglar alarm accidentally went off.
After he returned home from morning workouts at Dodger Stadium Wednesday morning, Hunter heard someone trying to open his front door.
"I grabbed a knife and was about to start Bruce Lee-ing on whoever was there," he told the Los Angeles Times.
He opened the door to discover the police."They said, 'Put your hands up!' I'm like, 'Man this is my home!'" Hunter said. Officers asked Hunter to provide identification, all the while training their guns on him. After the police realized their mistake, they apologized, telling Hunter they were fans.
"They said they go to a lot of games, and I'm looking at them like, 'Come on, man,'" he said. "But they did what they were supposed to, protected my home and did everything right. It was just an…awkward moment."
Former Cowboys assistant Avezzano dead
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 5 (UPI) -- Former Dallas Cowboys special teams coach Joe Avezzano died in Italy Thursday at the age of 68, the team said.
"Horrible news out of Italy this morning: Joe Avezzano had a heart attack on the treadmill and passed away," Richie Whitt of 105.3 The Fan tweeted.
The Cowboys confirmed the death of the assistant who was hired by head Coach Jimmy Johnson in 1990, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Avezzano was in Italy to coach the American football team of Seamen Milano.
