Trial begins for man accused in sex assault
ELKHORN--A seven-woman, six-man jury was selected Monday to determine the fate of Scott L. Anderson, a former Whitewater resident charged with sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl.
The Walworth County Court trial is expected to end today. One juror will be designated a reserve and dismissed before the remaining 12 jurors deliberate after hearing evidence.
Anderson, 35, initially appeared in court wearing orange jail coveralls and with his hands and arms shackled. He changed into civilian clothes when jury selection began.
Before the trial, defense attorney Joshua Klaff told Judge John Race that Anderson was placed on suicide watch in jail last week. Despite the watch, Klaff said he believed Anderson was “competent” and able to understand the proceedings.
Anderson, who now lives in Oconomowoc, is accused of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl Sept. 2, 2011. At the time, he was living at the home of the girl’s mother. The mother and her two daughters shared a bedroom with Anderson.
The 2-year-old’s mother contacted police when she woke up shortly before 2 a.m. Sept. 2 and saw Anderson touching her daughter. The criminal complaint against Anderson indicates he told Whitewater police he “was unable to sleep and that he put his hand up the side of the diaper” and had sexual contact with the child. In addition to being arrested on a charge of first-degree child sexual assault—contact with a child under the age of 13, Anderson was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
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