Bill Cosby charged with felony sexual assault in Pennsylvania
He is due to return to court on Jan. 14 for a preliminary hearing.
NORRISTOWN, PA. (Reuters) - Bill Cosby was charged on Wednesday with sexually assaulting a woman after plying her with drugs and alcohol in 2004, the only criminal case against a once-beloved entertainer whose father-figure persona has been marred by dozens of similar misconduct accusations.
A frail-looking Cosby, 78, walking with a cane and accompanied by two lawyers, appeared for his arraignment hours later at a courthouse just outside Philadelphia, where he posted a $1 million bond, turned over his passport and was ordered to avoid any contact with his accuser.
Smiling and politely thanking District Court Judge Elizabeth McHugh at the end of the brief proceeding, Cosby left the Elkins Park courthouse and was driven to a nearby police precinct to be finger-printed and booked.
He emerged from the police station 10 minutes later and was whisked away in the same black sport utility vehicle that had delivered him to the courthouse. He made no statements as a throng of reporters shouted questions at him.
He is due to return to court on Jan. 14 for a preliminary hearing.
The case against Cosby was filed just before the statute of limitations deadline for criminal prosecution was due to lapse in January. The charge stems from allegations levelled by Andrea Constand, 44, who settled a civil case against Cosby for an undisclosed sum in 2006.
"Today, after examination of all the evidence, we are able to seek justice on behalf of the victim," Kevin Steele, the newly elected district attorney for Montgomery County, told an earlier news conference. Steele made a campaign issue of his intent to prosecute Cosby.
Constand, a former basketball team manager at Temple University in Philadelphia, Cosby s alma mater, is one of more than 50 women who have publicly accused the star of sexually assaulting them in incidents dating back decades.
Cosby did not enter a plea in Wednesday s case. But he and his lawyers, while acknowledging marital infidelity on his part, have consistently denied any allegations of sexual misconduct.
His legal team issued a statement late on Wednesday calling the sexual assault charge "unjustified," suggesting it was politically motivated and declaring Cosby "will be exonerated by a court of law."
The prosecution came as no surprise, his attorneys said, given that it followed a "hotly contested" election for district attorney in which "this case was made the focal point."
Cosby, who personified the model American family man in his long-running hit television show, was charged with aggravated indecent assault, a second-degree felony carrying a maximum penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
VICTIM DID NOT CONSENT
According to an affidavit accompanying the charge, the victim was a guest at Cosby s home in Cheltenham near Philadelphia one evening in January 2004, when he gave her wine and urged her to take three blue pills, prosecutors said in a statement.
"Shortly thereafter, the victim became incapacitated, and Cosby led her to a couch. The victim lay down ... and Cosby positioned himself behind her. Cosby then fondled the victim s breasts, put his hands inside her pants, and penetrated her vagina with his fingers," prosecutors said.
"The victim did not consent to any of these acts and reported that she was unable to move or speak and felt frozen and paralysed, " prosecutors said.
When questioned by police as to whether he had sex with Constand, Cosby, according to the charging documents, answered, "never asleep or awake." The statement appeared to be at odds with Cosby s sworn deposition in the civil case that they had consensual sexual contact.
Steele said the case was brought after new information came to light this year, adding that the victim was willing to cooperate.
