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After more than seven hours of questions, a jury was selected for the Anthony DeMarco trial Monday.
DeMarco is accused of molesting boys under the age of 14. He faces two Class A felony child molesting charges. He also faces Class C felony child molesting charges in three other cases.
The current trial relates to one Class A felony child molesting charge. DeMarco is set to stand trial on the other four charges in February.
One hundred prospective jurors arrived at the Kosciusko County Justice Building around 8 a.m. Monday to begin the jury selection process, and the 14th jury member was selected at 4:51 p.m.
While 100 jurors were called for the selection, the final 14 jurors (12 jury members and two alternates) were selected from 48 people who were questioned by both the prosecution and the defense. The jury is made up of nine men and five women.
When they entered Kosciusko Superior Court I to receive instructions and be sworn in, the 100 possible jury members filled the jury box, audience seating and several folding chairs set up in the courtroom. Once the instructions were given, the candidates were taken to a jury room behind the courtroom and brought into the courtroom in groups of six.
Once the group of six was seated in the jury box, they were asked questions about prior jury service, personal conflicts with the case and what they knew about the case. Prospective jurors were asked if they understood the explanation of reasonable doubt and the presumption of innocence, then they were asked if they had seen, read or heard anything about the case in the media.
Five jury members were selected from the first 12 candidates. After the next six candidates were all excused, a recess was called for lunch.
After selection resumed at 1 p.m., nine final jurors were selected from 30 additional candidates.
The trial resumed today at 8:30 a.m. as the jury received instructions and began to hear testimony from witnesses in the case.
Kosciusko Superior Court I Judge Duane Huffer issued a gag order in the case March 22 after DeMarco's attorney filed a document requesting it, citing media attention surrounding the case and the possibility of tainting the jury pool. Public documents filed regarding the case are still available in the Kosciusko County Justice Building, but officials involved in the case are not allowed to comment.
Since March 7, the Warsaw Police Department and Kosciusko County Child Protective Services have been investigating the case.
DeMarco was suspended from his part-time job at the Kosciusko Community YMCA March 9 after the allegations surfaced. The YMCA then issued a letter to its members and released a statement regarding the incident.
Police believe many of the victims were introduced to DeMarco during his employment at the YMCA and related camps and outings. DeMarco was hired at the Kosciusko Community YMCA as the youth sports coordinator in 2001 and held various positions over the past four years. He was a youth center supervisor, climbing wall supervisor and was involved in various summer camps, Kids' Night Out activities and Kids' Club before- and after-school activities.
DeMarco was a fourth- and fifth-grade basketball coach at the former Burket Elementary School, a substitute teacher in the area and a reserve police officer in Mentone and Silver Lake. He also was employed at Whitley County YMCA.
Police established probable cause for DeMarco's arrest after interviewing children who implicated him for allegedly molesting them. DeMarco allegedly befriended parents, then found ways to be alone with their children, usually young boys.
DeMarco appeared and entered a plea of not guilty in Kosciusko Superior Court I in front of Judge Duane Huffer at an initial hearing March 14.
In November, DeMarco's mother Jenny Layne was arrested for allegedly obstructing justice and tampering with witnesses in the case.
On Nov. 7, Layne allegedly contacted a witness scheduled to testify against her son in a trial scheduled for January. Layne allegedly made threats to the victim in an effort to keep the victim from testifying at a deposition.
