NORRISTOWN – Walking with a cane and accompanied by two lawyers, comedian Bill Cosby appeared for his arraignment at a courthouse in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, Wednesday.
The 78-year-old posted a $1 million bond, turned over his passport and was ordered to avoid any contact with his accuser.
Cosby was charged with sexually assaulting a woman in 2004 after plying her with drugs and alcohol, marking the only criminal case against a once-beloved performer whose father-figure persona was damaged by dozens of misconduct accusations.
Smiling and politely thanking District Court Judge Elizabeth McHugh at the end of the brief proceeding, Cosby left the courthouse and was driven to a nearby police precinct to be finger-printed and booked.
He emerged from the police station ten 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.
The case against Cosby was filed just before the statute of limitations deadline for a criminal prosecution was due to lapse in January. The charge stems from allegations leveled by Andrea Constand, 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 has not entered 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 charge “unjustified”, adding, “we expect that Mr Cosby will be exonerated by a court of law”.
The statement also said the prosecution came as no surprise 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 five to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. (Reuters)