Bill Cosby Arraigned, Bail Set At $1 Million For 2004 Sexual Assault Charges

UPDATE, 3:30 p.m. EST: Comedian Bill Cosby had his mug shot taken Wednesday afternoon at the nearby Cheltenham Police Department after he was arraigned in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, on charges of aggravated indecent assault. A reporter from the Philadelphia Daily News tweeted the mug shot shortly afterward.

Cosby is accused of sexually assaulting and drugging a woman in 2004 at his suburban Philadelphia home.

Original story:

Bill Cosby did not enter a plea Wednesday when he appeared before a judge in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, after he was charged with sexually assaulting and drugging a woman at his home there in 2004. The comedian was arraigned on charges of aggravated indecent assault, which is punishable by five to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, ABC News reported.

The comedian's bail has been set at $1 million, and his next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14. The man formerly known as America’s favorite dad also turned over his passport to the court.

This is the first time Cosby has been charged with a criminal offense despite more than 50 women accusing him over the past years of drugging and/or sexually assaulting them. In the courtroom Wednesday afternoon, reporters said Cosby was seated at the defense table by himself.

The judge also ordered Cosby to have no contact with Andrea Constand, the alleged victim on whom the case is based, according to Michael Alan Goldberg, a reporter at the hearing. When the judge repeated that the comedian was not allowed to contact Constand and checked if he understood those conditions, Cosby smiled and said "yes," reporters tweeted.

After the arraignment, Cosby headed to the Cheltenham Police Department where officers took his mug shot and fingerprints, according to ABC News.

In 2005, Constand, a former employee of Temple University, alleged that Cosby invited her to his home in Pennsylvania and made several sexual advances over a period of time. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s office said Wednesday morning that prosecutors reopened the case this past summer when damaging testimony was unsealed in Constand’s civil lawsuit against Cosby and many other women came forward with similar accusations about the comedian.

When the charges against Cosby were announced earlier Wednesday, Constand's legal team said they were grateful that the comedian was being brought before the court.

“On behalf of our client, Andrea Constand, we wish to express our appreciation to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, the county detectives and the Cheltenham Police Department for the consideration and courtesy they have shown Andrea during this difficult time. We have the utmost confidence in Mr. [incoming District Attorney Kevin] Steele, Ms. [Assistant District Attorney Kristen] Feden and their team, who have impressed us with their professionalism. In that this matter is now being pursued in the criminal justice system, we will not comment further," Constand's legal team said in a statement.