Former Georgia Teacher Fights Molestation Charges

[proud2BlibKansan]

Children Take Stand in Dramatic Testimony, Expert Says They're Especially Vulnerable to False Memories

Former kindergarten teacher Tonya Craft said that when her daughter's friends spent the night at their house, it was nothing more than an innocent sleepover. But the parents of three other children say it was something far more sinister: They claim Craft molested their kids several times.

The allegations sparked a trial that's shocked and shaken Craft's small Ringgold, Ga., community and left everyone -- including the jury -- with an extraordinarily difficult decision to make.

"The problem here is that jurors have the responsibility -- that they're essentially going to have to decide who they're going to believe," forensic psychiatrist Michael Welner told "Good Morning America." "Behavioral sciences can't tell if a memory is true or false... It's really a matter of a jury and their gut."

Prosecutors have alleged that for nearly two years Craft, starting in August 2005, a mother, fondled children at her home multiple times, all while they were in kindergarten and in the first grade.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TheLaw/georgia-kindergarten-teacher-tonya-craft-accused-child-molestation/story?id=10610046

[leftofcool]

1. So, the dimwit wit loses custody of her own daughter due to abuse

and then wants us to belive she didn't molest other children? In my own personal experience as a former teacher, 99% of the time small childen do NOT lie about being molested or touched, or receiving "bad" touches and their memories are darn good when it comes to that. When we stop believing the children, more pedophiles will run free on the streets.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Too many times we believe the children without a thorough investigation

I have seen too many teachers facing false accusations to automatically believe the kids.

I was accused myself many years ago by an angry kid. And I hadn't done anything wrong. I'll never forget how frightening that was.

Just this year a co-worker was accused of molestation. I wouldn't wish that nightmare on anyone.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I worked in a daycare center in Harlem in 1984. One day the City decided to take

fingerprints of all employees. Sounded harmless but I felt there was opportunity for unexpected consequences. So I quit preemptively.

Within 12 months of the fingerprinting requirement, almost all my former coworkers were accused of something. Including the cooks and the janitor. All were eventually exonerated but the fact of the matter is parents of our children turned on the staff and all had lawyers ready to file complaints.

While there are legitimate molestation charges and they need to be examined, many are contrived.

[tonysam]

3. Anybody can make up any pile of shit against a teacher

knowing an unscrupulous lawyer is on hand to make sure the parent (and the attorney) collects in civil court against a district's insurance company, or, as in this case, ruin them in criminal court.

There ought to be criminal sanctions against people who file these bogus lawsuits, "people" meaning lawyers.

I am the victim of one such bullshit civil lawsuit.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. I'm sorry you got caught up in the net.

The parents and the lawyers smell blood in the water and pounce. They can expect to get a settlement if they don't get a jury to hold a daycare and its teachers liable. It's the ultimate betrayal if the claims are true and if they aren't.

[tonysam]

5. My case is ongoing

I was psychologically raped by the school district when I was thrown out on trumped-up charges, and the district had the nerve to approach me after the lawsuit was filed, some one month after my sham "due process" hearing. I am supposed to be every dirty name my last principal called me, which was projection on HER part as she was completely negligent in her job, but it was more important for the district to keep her and throw me out using fake charges to cover up obvious age discrimination and cheating me out of my full pension.

I can't do anything about it at this date legally. The "union" made sure they didn't tell me about timelines in filing lawsuits. However, the civil action is still ongoing, with the plaintiff's lawyer taking "depositions" on something he KNOWS to be false. I was told by my landlord a week or so ago WCSD campus police were at my apartment--twice--while I was gone (I have been gone from Reno for three months getting ready to move out of there for good). Presumably they were going to issue me a subpoena to appear. Well, I may end up going to jail or getting the case ruled in the plaintiff's favor as I have no intention of going through this again.

By the way, there are only two "defendants" named in this case, apart from the generic "Washoe County School District." I am one of them.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Jesus.

Is your lawyer being aggressive?

[tonysam]

7. I don't have a lawyer. The district's law firm dropped me

when I had contacted the other side and told them everything the district's law firm was told about what the school administration had done to me. I am so consumed with rage; I am more angry now than I was two years ago when I was kicked to the curb.

The union's law firm tried to con me into picking them to represent me after these bastards sold me down the river in the phony due process hearing, colluding with WCSD's human resources and their legal department to make sure the principal kept her job at my expense and cover up HR's own screwups. The law firm made some $25,000 of TAXPAYER MONEY "defending" me in my "due process" hearing and then they decided they wanted the insurance company's money by "defending" me in the bogus lawsuit.

As God is my witness, the district is NOT going to get away with what they did to me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. We need a loser pays system

Many countries have that. If you file a lawsuit and lose, you pay all attorney fees and court costs. It really helps prevent frivolous lawsuits.

[mzteris]

11. I know who I'd be putting my money on. . . n/t

[Hannah Bell]

14. you were already warned about your harrassment of that poster.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Bingo

The McMartin case was early in my career. And it was only the most high profile of many similar cases.

And FYI (because I am amazed by how many people don't know this) not one teacher at that school was ever convicted of doing anything wrong to those children. Yet all of them lost their teaching certificates and were never allowed to teach anywhere else.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. She's innocent

Jury found her innocent yesterday.

[tonysam]

13. Good. Unfortunately, there is no way to get her reputation back

after it was destroyed.