The former mayor of Coaldale, charged by Nesquehoning police with downloading child pornography, will finally go to trial.

A jury panel was selected Monday in Carbon County court to hear the case of Richard Corkery, 75, of 249 Early Ave., who is charged with 28 counts of child pornography.Corkery was elected as mayor of Coaldale in 2009. He did not seek re-election to the office.The trial will begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11, before Judge Steven R. Serfass.The case began in 2011 when Corkery was confronted by Nesquehoning police for allegedly downloading child pornography on his computer at his then placed of employment, radio station WLSH. When the charges were filed, the station management fired Corkery.Corkery originally entered an agreement with the district attorney's office to plead guilty to all 28 counts. However, in October 2011 through his attorney, Nicholas Quinn, of Pottsville, Corkery filed a petition to back out of the plea agreement. The petition was granted by Serfass when the DA's office did not oppose it.The case then stalled in the system as 22 continuances were filed in the matter by defense counsel and the prosecution. The majority were filed by defense counsel.Corkery was jailed for a brief period for violating the conditions of his bail. He then was placed on an electronic monitoring system.In the affidavit of probable cause filed by Chief Sean Smith, police say Corkery downloaded the images on six days between Feb. 15 and March 28, 2011, on the computer he used at the radio station.Police said the images were of teenage boys engaging in sexual acts.Smith received a tip about the downloading and began an investigation on April 6, 2011. On May 16 Federal Bureau of Investigation agent John Bates, state trooper Scott Sotack and Smith spoke with Corkery.Monday during the selection process Assistant District Attorney William E. McDonald, indicated he would be calling Smith, Bates and Sotack among his witnesses.