Due to health concerns and the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, Bill Cosby’s legal team is seeking his release from prison.
The 82-year-old disgraced comedian, who is currently serving a three to ten-year sentence at the SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County prison facility for sexual assault, is being considered for house arrest due to his age and underlying medical conditions. His legal team is preparing to file a petition at Pennsylvania Exceptional Court docket within the next few days.
Cosby’s spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, expressed concerns about the potential spread of the virus within the prison environment. Wyatt stated, “We believe that it is only a matter of time before Mr. Cosby’s prison potentially falls victim to the virus. Such a confined space is the ideal location for a virus to spread rapidly, posing a danger to the jail staff and vulnerable inmates.”
Wyatt further added, “Bill Cosby is no detriment or risk to the community. He just can’t go anywhere, he is aged, he is blind. He can stay under house arrest with an ankle bracelet, as he did before, with his spouse taking care of him. Let him do his time at home.”
The concern for Cosby’s well-being revolves around the possibility of infected personnel passing on the virus to him. Wyatt is quoted saying, “We are now preparing a motion to ask the court and the state to release Mr. Cosby from jail and place him under house arrest during his sentence. We are not doing this because he is Bill Cosby, our concern is that he is 82, he is blind and has close contact with staff who take him to his medical appointments every day in a wheelchair, they take him for his meals and clean his cell. If they get infected, they could pass it on to him.”
This move by Cosby’s team comes after Donald Trump’s administration announced plans to release some non-violent criminals in order to reduce the risk of a prison outbreak during the pandemic.