Weird Teacher Watch: Tonya Craft Acquitted Of Molestation Charges

• i live in a small town,where there are three coffee shops--shit travels fast ! anyway a man in town(business owner) was accused of molesting a babysitter--i was chosen to sit on the jury. as the DA,and the defendents were working on jury selection--i was asked if i knew any involved personaly--i told them that i had done business w/defendant,and also new of the girl(i was a teenage foster parent for 12 yrs.) . i at that time told the judge there was no way someone was going to convince me that this man was guilty , no mater what was said--i was excused from the jury box--now the trial went on ,and this man lost his business,wife,children,and any respect of some of the people here(this is being patched up now)the jury was out less then 1 hr., and he was found not guilty on all charges !! what a mess this man has to deal with !! ofcourse the girl got nothing for all she did to his life !! i just love to hear success stories...YOU GO GIRL !! steven

• Yeah, and if she didn't protest we'd say she was guilty too.

• I hsve to say that I think it is interesting that everyone thinks she is not guilty. My first impression upon seeing her was the same thing until I started seeing her pop up on every news channel. While I agree with the verdict -- reasonable doubt is the key phrase here -- I am not sure she did not do it. Why is that? I am the kind of person who reads people. First of all, if this happened to me, I would want to distance myself from all of this. I would not go on every TV show and talk about it. Case in point, Martin Tankloff. He laid low after his conviction was over turned. And, he did not jump into a civil case right away. Any civil case must be well thought out, strategized and planned. She is just out for revenge and she never even went to jail. Martin Tankloff spent half his life in jail and is not reacting the way she is. When someone is innocent, they just don't react the way she is. That is why I am suspicious. I watch her and I just don't believe her. Everyone wants to believe her because she is an attractive, young, woman and people just cannot believe she is guilty. Even serial killers look like normal people that live normal lives. Even Russian spies look like normal people who live normal lives. The only reason to think she did not do it is because the prosecution had a flimsy case. I do not believe they would have brought it to trial and waste time and money if they didn't believe she was guilty. I don't think it was a witch hunt...what would be the motive on the part of the prosecution? I am sorry I just don't buy her constant proclamations of innocent. It is like the line Shakespeare wrote -- the woman doth protesteth too much (sic).

• Have any of you actually READ this story? Little 5 year old babies don't just do and say these things for the hell of it. This woman is a sick disgusting pervert. Classic signs of molestation. Justice has not only failed itself, but it has failed these babies whose lives are forever altered by this sick bitch. OMG, I can't believe she will not only get her children back, but teacher YOUR children, having sleep overs with YOUR children AND will get millions from the state of Georgia. You want to talk about justice failed?

• Salem witch hunt

• I said from Durban South Africa when i first saw her on TV as the accused - that she was innocent - glad i was and am right. you need to know how to look at and see people in their 'space'.

• Good for her, I would sue anyone involved in this witch hunt. Her children were taken from her prior to a verdict and the douchebag father probably filled their heads with lies. I wish her all the luck I can give her.

• I posted a comment within 5 minutes of her being found innocent.... my comment was FILE A HUGE LAWSUIT and REGAIN CUSTODY of her children. Following her story was difficult because there are soooo many true villians out there hurting REAL children.... the agencies that are supposed to be protecting children have hundreds of thousands of cases that are REAL with evidence.... no need to create fake ones. I wish I lived in her state and was choosen for her jury...... not only would I vote for giving her $25 million ... I'd add another $100 million for her pain and suffering and missed time with her children!!!

• The bit on the girls found in bed sticks with me. I grew up knowing that sex existed, though I didn't know how it worked. I was not molested as a child, nor were most of the girls I knew. Many of the girls I knew grew up in households where sex was a taboo subject, and they didn't even know the word until sex ed in middle school. However, one thing that was covered in sex ed, in talking with these girls I grew up around (once we were older), and in reading my parenting books is that children often "play" with themselves or others at an early age, stopping around age 7 as they are more aware of what's "wrong" according to society. I did it as a child, my sisters did, and the majority of girls I grew up around did. With few exceptions, none of us were molested, we just did what felt good. It had nothing to do with what someone else had done to us, nor anything that we were "recreating" as some have suggested. I'm not going to say that Ms Craft DIDN'T molest them, nor am I going to say that she DID. The jury found her innocent. However, I will say that what facts are presented here do not convince me of her guilt.

• For all anyone knows one girl could have caught one of her parents looking at lesbian porn (or any porn for that matter) and/or heard her parents in their room and told another girl and that girl told another girl. For all we know this could have happened and the two girls that got caught messing around could have been re-enacting what one say on a computer screen, tv or by accidentally walking into their parents room at the wrong time.(Granted parents private times should require a locked door so that this doesn't happen) Children can be very quiet when they want to be and you may not even know that they are standing in your doorway until something startles you. There are many things that could have happened, but it just seems to me that there are some disgruntled parents involved and that the law is being abused. I wonder, did the police search the parents of these girls homes during this investigation to see if they had porn in their house before trying to use it against this teacher?

• This could be a bogus complaint. One male teacher in my country was alleged for the same offense on some of his male students. He was imprisoned after a guilty verdict. He died of a heart attack inside the prison as he had a not guilty conscious. He was innocent. I personally knew him. This is the new fashion of taking revenge from innnocent people. The law which has been designed to safeguard people is being used against their destruction. Also this is very easy as it is a very sensitive issue. Every perent with a child will naturally come against this type of accuser. The mud slinging and medial publicity is unbearable. This is actually pity that people make use of this type of issues to destroy their rivals.

• Well, considering her acquittal, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised with a Civil Lawsuit. Her life and her career both have been ruined because of these allegations that turned out to be false. Although I hope it works out well for her, I would think she is more concerned with getting her own children back from the State than winning a Lawsuit.

• Good for her!! I hope she wins big!

• How evidence of watching lesbain porn was even admissible is shocking. How does this help prove the matter asserted? Can I get a more prejudical than probative objection anyone? Wtf? Lesbian porn does not mean a woman is likely to molest girls any more than hetero porn means a man is likely to molest girls. Pay the women her money.

• Regarding the update - the gigantic lawsuit? I hope she wins and those people are forced to sell their homes to pay her. Liars...

• She's innocent. The whole thing is a big witch hunt. I'm glad she was acquitted, however, I doubt her life will ever be the same. The only thing I can think of that comes close to child abuse is someone who is falsely accused of such acts. I'm with the others, I'm hoping they can find out who penetrated these children. (Hint: It WASN'T Tonya Craft)

• For that matter, Sam, how do you expect anyone to think you can say with any authority that most teachers are lazy and choose the profession to avoid working 12 months per year?

• The evidence wasn't there, so she was not convicted. Good. Now why did these girls say this, what really happened to them, if anything?

• my personal opinon.. it could go both ways.. trust is a key character.. you can just "start" offending after a while, even though the sick addiction is in your mind.. you work up a good name for yourself so one day you can play out your fantasies.. though i do agree 15 years is awfully a lot of time to just "start" acting out, it seems highly unlikely... or an angry mother could be it. OR, lets face it being young a lot of us are and were curious at a point. and the only way to find out what you want to know is to ask or to do...i was a curious child and no one has ever offended me.. the girls could of been ashamed or nervous and said a name, maybe they didnt want to be in trouble. however it goes.. its not what you say in court its what you can prove and no matter what theirs always at least three sides the "victim" the "offender" and the truth.

• Sam, You seem very bitter about this from your two posts. Can you elaborate on why you think she is guilty and why Justice failed?

• Justice failed in this case. And to an earlier post 35K is too much for 90% of the current teachers.They are mostly lazy people that can't handle a real 8-1o hour work day all year long. Look at how many scum teachers are in the news anymore ....the quality of people that aspire for this job is sub par to say the least. I do wonder if raising salaries wouldn't bring in some better teachers for future students but the ones in school right now have to depend on their parents to educate them at home.

• This case has been appalling People seem to forget that she passed, not one, but TWO, lie-detector tests! She has been the target of the "good ole boys society" and her life has been forever changed in horrible ways. I totally believe one mother could have started this--as a retired teacher I know how vindictive parents can get if their little "darling" is perceived to have been slighted in anyway by the teacher. I hope she gets her children back, sues the school district, sues the prosecuter and the judge is disbarred for not recusing himself. Back woods politics is all it has been by a bunch of hill-billy law inforcement, and lawyers, as well as the judge. They should all be ashamed of themselves!! I hope this situation isn't allowed to just go away, but that the state steps in and cleans out the cess-pool that is the legal system in that part of the country!! Hooray for the jury!!

• Wow, that Salem/wichhunt analogy is exceedingly tired and played out. Are you "withhunt!" shriekers going to do this with every child molestation case? Will you ever believe any of them, or are you just here to downplay child molestation and influence other people to not take any such cases seriously? Because I believe there's sort of mass hysteria in the other direction that you're contributing to that isn't helping anyone.

• what a total douche her ex husband was for airing their business like that. If the people involved are consenting adults, and noone is being victimized I don't even see how that's relevant. Usually judges doen't allow someone's past criminal history in, but they let her ex husband say what they did in their marital bed. Total douche nozzle!

• I went to McMartin before the Ray Buckey era, for all intents and purposes her life as a teacher is over. Practice law because these cases will be more prevalent with added hysteria. My family was personally aware of the vitriol of Manhattan Beach through relatives in the school system and personal distant acquaintances on our block who were singled out. No stone was left unturned so to say. I followed the course of this trial and think there are similarities.

• Well, I am glad that she was found "NOT GUILTY" by a Trial of her peers in this Criminal Case. However, that doesn't mean that the nightmare is over for her. Not only is she facing an uphill battle to get her own Children back, but it is going to be difficult for her life to return to any semblance of normalcy. The worst part is that she is still able to be tried in Civil Court with a significantly lesser Burden of Proof. Let's just hope that the parents of the supposed victims just move on instead of continuing to drag this out any further in a different Court.

• Coriander, you obviously dont know about little girls and their overprotective mothers. Once the little girls start getting questioned to death, they say whatever mommy wants to hear to get her off her back, then mommy calls her friends mommy and it dominoes. It looks like that is exactly what happened in this case.

• Definitely a witch hunt. Why was the testimony of the "ex-husband" allowed? Smells of a possible conspiracy on the part of one or more vengeful parents. The victim in this case is the teacher and, unfortunately, even with her innocent verdict, her life is now totally altered. If it's determined there was perjury, among other things, the perpertrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. I doubt the victim would get any monetary relief from multiple law suits against those involved but she should have some redress.

• I doubt seriously these children and their parents made all of this up. It is impossible to judge someone by their past behavior as it is relatively UNKNOWN if nobody has told what happened. Many criminals appear to be bright, happy, educated and normal people.

• The way this sentence starts absolutely cracks me up: "One girl, who was fingered by the other accusers..." Seriously, that's hilariously sexual sounding in a sex-related case.

• I had my doubts about this case, but like I said before, the doctor's statement was the only evidence I was waiting on. How does she move on from this? Life will never be the same for this woman. She'll fight to get her kids back, which should turn out okay for the most part, but her trust is probably gone. She'll probably never teach again, nor ever trust being alone in a room with a another child. Furthermore, the fact that she was even charged with this crime to begin with will still hang over her head. Though she was found innocent, many will continue to believe that she's guilty. You can't erase what's been brought to someone's attention, people will always have doubts. Just goes to show how people can have their lives ruined for absolutely no reason at all.

• I agree with the comments from 'ct' and 'Mark'. I was thinking of both angles when it came to this case. First off, to me it resembled the tactics and mistakes made in the McMartin et.al. cases of epidemic hysteria that occurred over the last thirty years. Secondly it also hearkened back to the very similar epidemic hysteria that occurred during the Salem Witch trials. For those who may not be familiar with the details, the Salem trials all stemmed from the accusations and testimony of a group of young girls. What is saddening is that people believe something as hysterical and backwards as the Salem trials could never happen today, in modern America. Yet there is very little difference between McMartin et. al. and the trials of old, just a slight change in the 'main characters' professions. Instead of an overzealous preacher, we have an overzealous prosecutor. Instead of jealous neighbors, we have unqualified "experts" providing the damning testimony. I am reminded of a saying that is used so often it borders on being trite, yet remains unfailingly true in its warning to humankind: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (George Santayana) It seems that after more than 300 years society still has not learned its lesson. Before anyone accuses me of wholesale condemnation of our judicial system, let me correct their perspective. I believe in our system of justice, I think it is the best in the world. Having said that, it is not perfect. I believe that one of the areas that needs improvement is in our understanding the psychology of child witnesses. Having a better understanding will allow us to improve how we interview, prep and deal with them in the courtroom.

• Sorry Tom but I read thru the article again and substituted "Tom" for Tanya and used all male pronouns in the article, as well as tried every description of pornography (lesbian, gay, hetero) except child porn which was not a consideration in the case. I still think there was not enough credible evidence to have convicted anyone, male or female. Children do lie to get out of trouble. (I did when I was a kid and I'm sure you did too as a child) I blamed an innocent classmate for giving me contraband, instead of saying who the real culprit was because I didn't want my friend to get into trouble. Anyone can be falsely accused if a person feels trapped and has to give up a name. If not questioned correctly a child and even an adult with limited capacity can be lead to say what they think the questioner wants them to say. If questioned enough in this fashion, they can even be lead to believe what they are saying is the truth. (Classic programming/brain washing trick) If you think that children this age couldn't possibly know anything about sex or sexual acts... well once again you are wrong. Children are bombarded from the day they come home from their birth in the hospital, with images and sexual language. They are exposed to so much media, electronic games and gadgets, adults, older siblings, and other neighborhood children that speak openly in their presence, that their little sponge minds and curious nature couldn't help but to pick up on sexual knowledge. So many of the celebs we idolize in our society are behaving badly, Is it any wonder that a child that likes Madonna's music and star power would see the way she portrays herself on tv and not want to try kissing or touching another girl. Or how about the little boy that watches the antics of his favorite raping football star (not mentioning names because nobody has been convicted yet). A lot of female teachers have been let off the hook by the courts and I am as disgusted by that as you; but I do not believe this was one of those cases. I'm glad Tonya Craft was found innocent because it would have been a bad day for American justice if she hadn't have been.

• another woman gets away with molesting because people have a hard time believing woman or gay woman who really enjoy theyre lezbo porn could do this.isuppost all the different children are liars.if this was a man the case would be closed GUILTY

• Well...as it turns out it apparently wasn't a doctor? That strikes me as a very bad move! Was that a misunderstanding or a reporting error? Either way, they better start using exclusively doctors for that type of "expert" testimony! What were they thinking?

• I'm so glad this teacher was not convicted on such flimsy evidence. I hope she gets some semblance of her life back. As stated in the story, "...prosecutors have also supplied doctor's exams of all three victims, claiming that the physical evidence offers concrete proof that Craft digitally violated them." Just because a doctor says that the children were fondled does not mean that Craft did it. If children were exploring each others bodies, then they may have caused the "physical evidence" that the prosecutor tried to put on Craft. And as for the testimony of the ex-husband, I bet the only reason that she watched lesbian porn was for her husbands sake. She probably faked the big "O" in bed with him too. Even women that hate porn, watch it sometimes to get their husbands in the mood. With so much lesbian action being sensationalized by celebrities on tv, is it any wonder that little girls would be curious and emulating their idols?

• The real shame of it is that she was presumed guilty and had to prove her innocence. Her children were taken from her, and she isn't going to get them back without a fight either, lost her job and probably her teaching certificate which would also be difficult to get re-instated. Once these things get done, they don't get undone easily. I have little doubt that she'll end up moving out of town in the near future. Too many people will still have their doubts regardless of the verdict. I had a friend who was accused of fondling his daughter by an anonymous tipster who claimed to have witnessed this while stopped at a traffic light. He was eventually exonerated, but the anonymous tipster never had to come forward and remains anonymous to this day. But he was separated from his daughter for over a year, lost his job and had to move out of the community. And although I'm ashamed to admit this, because of those allegations, I could never trust him around my children again.

• "One girl, who was fingered by the other accusers as a victim, denied that Craft ever touched her inappropriately" May want to reconsider the choice of words for that sentence...

• We know what you meant. I've been kicking myself for misspelling "therefore" a few times & using commas instead of hyphens. We're all typing fast- fingers flying at the speed of light and all that.

• crap and a half ya- I'm not a huge PORN fan

• ya- I'm not a huge pron fan but sometimes we get bored and look at free Ad's for pron. (Lately though they've been more kicking-the-crap out of each other than banging so I'm not interested.) HOWEVER i'd rather see two women than a man in the shot- I'M NOT GAY (or a child molester) Porn dog alphas just disgust me. I'm pretty picky when it comes to any porn I watch because I rarely watch it (like once every few months) IMO girls are easier on the eyes and I'd have to sift thru alot of turn-offs if I start looking at Hetero porn. So I just stick with the non-aggressive women. Why would that even be an issue with this case? How awful that her private life is now so public! hey Tonya there's no shame in watching to over-paid hotties tossin' their heels to the heavens :/

• Partlycloudy's statement really resonates with me: "One bad child molestation case can ruin it for the thousands of legitimate cases." Let's not use this as an excuse to take child testimony any less seriously. They are the only ones in many cases who do know what really happened. The emphasis should be to make requirements for "expert" witnesses more stringent, not to generalize that all therapists are "coaching" kids on what to say. I still have a problem with the idea that anyone stands to gain anythign from doing that. I don't think prosectuors are desparate to convict innocent people, although choosing not to have a medical doctor examine the girls certainly seems like the perfect examples of what not to do, and should probably be the focus of any calls to reform how these types of things are handled in light of this. It was odd to me that MSN reported that this woman had earned a reputation partly for mowing her lawn in a thong. I suppose that's within legal limits, but it does seem slightly creepy, and no surprise that people were jumping the gun about her, given all the other factors. That would annoy me if I saw a neighbor doing that in view of kids, but it's not an excuse to be suspicious of her. As much as this disrupted her life, I think we just have to be relieved that the justice system was exercised properly and did its job correctly. Otherwise, what else can be done about such allegations? I don't like the use of the word witch hunt in this context. If the husband was conspiring against her, that doesn't make it a witch hunt. The other people in the community were just being concerned, responsible adults. Let's not jump to too many other conclusions about them.

• i like girl on girl porn does that make me a molester i dont think so... it just turns my husband on and it probably did him too. i never thought for one minute that she did that i was praying she was found not guilty i would get me a good lawyer and sue starting with the ex husband move on to the family members of the little girls then the prosecuters and then the school board and anyone else involved in the case. let them see how it feels to be on trial... good luck Tonya

• I think you're on to something there, Raven.

• It sounds to me like the ex had a big stake in coaching the daughter to get custody away from her for two reasons. One, revenge, two, he wouldn't have to shell out child support. It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out he was behind the whole thing.

• She may be not guilty - but she's still got to fight this stigma or the rest of her life!!! Hope she can undo some of the damage undoubtedly done to her children's poisoned minds and get custody ASAP 'thanks alot' to her a-hole ex husband

• I feel bad for her-I think her plans to study law are a positive thing for her. Such a terrible thing to happen to someone.

• The really sad part (well, there are lots of sad parts) is that this woman lost custody of her child for two years over it, and now has to fight to get her back. I'm sure the acquittal will help, but now she has this horrible stigma to carry around. If I were her, I'd be terrified to go back to teaching or to have another sleepover EVER.

• I think that when the prosecution has to resort to having the "Ex-husband" testify she enjoyed watching lesbian porn, it shows they have a pretty weak case to begin with. To even use that as testimony sheds serious doubt on this prosecution's ability to build a case here at all. The fact that she was acquitted proves that it was a shot in the dark, and there was no target to begin with. Taxpayer dollars wasted by a D.A. who thinks "gay porn" = "child abuse". What a moron.

• Thanks for the update, Funny Stuff! I was just reading about her aqcuittal this morning; sure glad to hear it. Here's a link if anyone's interested. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TheLaw/georgia-kindergarten-teacher-tonya-craft-acquitted-molestation-charges/story?id=10620993

• A former kindergarten teacher has been acquitted on charges she molested three young girls.

• Not guilty...22 times...

• *Tonya Craft's ex-husband's attorney -- sorry about that.

• Plus, and how the heck this passed the conflict of interest test I have no idea, the judge presiding over the case was Tonya Craft's ex-husband during their divorce. Actually, I find it hard to believe her attorney hasn't filed for a mistrial, although the evidence is here is so tainted and so lacking, perhaps they hope for an acquittal and, barring that, will file for an appeal based on the conflict of interest of the judge, the lack of education and experiece for the prosecution's medical expert, and the inappropriate questioning techniques used by the prosecution team. Bizarre. And the daughter, who is one of the girls who "claims" she was abused, is now living with the ex, and her testimony contradicts itself several times over, and she herself becomes more upset and obviously wants nothing to do with the whole situation during the questioning. Unbelievable.

• OMG! I opened the link to the testimony of the first "victim" and found that the idiots who did the interviews violated every rule for interviewing a child. Multiple interviews, with progressing information, and the off camera allergations? Sounds like a witch hunt. One will never know now if the allegations are true because the parents and cops and nurse and doctor, good grief, none of them qualified to work a child molestation case, all screwed up royally. They did as good a job on this case as the prosecutor and crime lab and cops did on the OJ Simpson case. How disgusting for the prosecution and doctor and nurse and cops and this prejudiced judge. Someone needs to defeat the judge and DA at the next election for this embarrassment. A prosecutor is required to convict the guilty, not just anyone being charged with a crime. That's why in GA we always had a "dead docket" stamp and a "nolle pros" stamp for cases where the cops or crime lab screwed up. We weren't supposed to cover up for malfeasance, as is being done here but the DA and judge. Ben Roethlisburger walks for raping a drunk coed because she was drunk (since when does the law say it is OK to rape a drunk?) and a teacher who may or may not be guilty, gets railroaded. Gotta love Georgia. maybe if the teacher had been a famou athlete, they'd have all gotten her autograph and let her walk?

• Well, the questions to the kids should be: What did your parents tell you to say, and the (2) what did the cops tell you to say? Police and parents and ADAs should always tell kids to tell the truth. There are lots of child molesters out there, but there are also cases like that one on PBS years ago about the NC town where parents and cops got hysterical and told kids what to say. I always told my victims to tell the truth no matter what the parents and cops told them to say. One bad child molestation case can ruin it for the thousands of legitimate cases. I don't think the fact that this teach had multiple husbands and had sex with men is something that the jury should use in deciding the issues here, except that if a woman is so busy having sex with so many men, I'd think, as a retired prosecutor, that she was not likely to be molesting children. And what is "the hump"? Obviously not one of our rock and roll songs. One that, that judge has let the DA put in everything the teacher has ever done with anyone anytime and anyplace, so the defendant has been throughly trashed.

• I think this pretty much says it all. http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_173505.asp

• At least one child witness has changed her story a few times and the transcripts of the interviews with the children indicate that they were asked the same questions regarding Ms. Craft touching them many, many times until an affirmative answer was given. Also, check this out from the court transcripts regarding the "expert" witness who provides the only physical evidence (the exams of the three girls) -- this is the expert telling the court what her qualifications as an "expert" are: --"You've done sexual abuse exams on 6-8-year-old girls?" "Yes." "How many?" "I can't answer that." "Have you had specific training in the area of sexual abuse in 6-8-year-old girls?" "No." "How did you get your rape and sexual abuse victim training?" "I bought a book and took a couple of on-line courses."-- That's the "expert" physical evidence (and when you read the evidence, it's pretty sketchy -- all three girls have intact hymens, none of them show any bruising or any other damage, and this supposed expert thought two of the hymens looked "abnormal". Also, the language used by the child witnesses sounds adult and coached. The judge in the trial represented Tonya Craft's ex-husband once upon a time in another case. This is a total travesty -- this belongs in a different courtroom and a genuine sex abuse expert who has a long and respected history of examining child abuse victims should be brought in. Instead, we have some bimbo who bought a book and took a couple of online courses. Nice...

• Something just doesn't feel right about this.......I feel like there is more to the story. My personal opinion is that the kids are exaggerating to keep from getting in trouble. I would be very interested in the children taking a lie detector test.......Has this been suggested?

• Gotta go with reasonable doubt here. The most damning evidence, the physical exams, were procured by the prosecutor and the physical evidence has more than one explanation. The ex-husband's testimony, true or not, involves adult pornography. Lesbians, actually, are the least likely group, statistically speaking, to engage in child molestation. Adults who are sexually attracted to children would be looking at child porn, not fairly mainstream adult pornography. Also, lesbian fantasies are not uncommon at all among heterosexual women, and the number of women viewing pornography has increased over the years. The testimony of the children in question is highly suspect and reminiscent of other bogus child abuse accusations. There just isn't enough evidence here for a conviction. This seems to be an isolated incident being driven by disgruntled parents. I wouldn't vote guilty on any of the evidence presented so far.

• What?! Teachers are so NOT overpaid, are you kidding? I'm not saying they are grossly underpaid, but $35K or whatever is probably not too high a salary to be grading papers at home and putting up with brats and everything else that goes along with it. Teachers get harassed quite often, and the politics of school systems are totally frustrating. They earn every penny they make. Maybe you can argue there are too many bad teachers, but man...that's a stretch.

• Another worthless teacher 90% of them are overpaid ...... I hope she picked up some tricks by watching lesbian porn because she will need them in prison. Ex-husbands are not always bitter.If he was going to lie I'm sure he could have come up with something better then legal porn watching to get revenge. Looks like one of her friends set up a truth finding web site........LOL She is guilty and hope she gets 25+ years.

• Let's face it, it is incredibly hard to prove this type of crime when children have reported it. That is why corroborating medical examinations are important. But don't base too much of your opinion on the fact that no past victims came forward. I can't agree with what one poster said about how offenders don't just start one day. They have to start one day, whether they are young or middle age. I think it's safe to say that profiling women offenders could be a fairly incomplete picture at this point. Suddenly in the past few years, it is either happening more and more or finally getting attention after being ignored for so long. But again, to those of you who lament how this has ruined her life, what would you suggest? It's as if you would like to see less of these cases go to trial, and I would see that as a major problem. The justice system has to be exercised to prove whether or not someone is guilty. It's sad if they are found innocent and pays such a price, but what else can be done?

• I completely agree. Like I stated before, until I hear other evidence, I'm viewing this woman as innocent. I've yet to see any solid proof, and that's what they need to get a conviction in this case. Another sad part about this, is the fact that this woman's life is already ruined. They took her job, her home, and her kids. Then you have to think of how badly her name has been spread across the news. People may still walk around looking at her as if she's guilty, and that alone will be hell to live with.

• It is hard to know how to feel about this one. I am in total agreement that opinions would probably be more quickly swayed if this teacher was a male. That noted, I have to wonder if this particular case has enouph actual facts, or more red herrings? Due to the fact no "past" victims have come foreward means thier were'nt many if not any to come forward. I am of course fully aware this woman could have infact done what she is accused of but IMHO I just don't see enouph evidence that she is guilty here. (Idk) what medical proof they have and so on.But from what I have read alone they need alot more. This is a horrible thing to be accused of as well if one is not infact actually guilty. Now this woman carries around a label whether or not the label fits.

• Sounds like more people on this board need to read up on what is actually happening in that courtroom. I am from Chattanooga but now reside in California. I follow chattanoogan.com to keep up with the details of this trial. I do not know this lady that has been accused nor the families involved That have accused her. However one can clearly read that the prosecution does not have a strong case. I believe in all my heart that if this teacher did this you would see a better case against her. The testimony of the supposed professionals that handled this case has been all but ripped to absolute shreds by the defenses true experts. I highly suggest a lot of you look further into this trial before posting such comments. I would love to see justice in this case for whoever did this to these children...but that is not this poor teacher

• OK...guess we can add Totty to the pro-child molestation crowd. It's sad when people aren't even capable of recognizing how damaging and abusove this can be. As if molesters stop at touching, as if that would even justify violating someone to young to understand it. My god, the thought of an adult tearing a child's hymen is repulsive and disturbing enough that it ought to make anyone with a soul refrain from making such an ignorant comment.

• There is a big difference between normal child curiosity and a child acting out something that he/she has learned from someone else. Like I said before, this goes far beyond that of typical child curiosity. If there is evidence of penetration in these children, then the person responsible needs to go to jail.

• &#64; ccccc Can't find good stats. Only seen 2 studies of < 300 peop0le each. It seems to be a taboo subject to research. Three thing that bother me about the taboo are Pagsanjan, Rio de Janeiro & Jesse Dirkhising. Who cares about the porn. Most people have viewed it . As far as lesbian porn. That pretty much describes the #2 & #3 men's magazines.

• ummm hmm: You might want to throw out some actual statistics concerning the porn. Those are argument made typically by women who can't bear the thought of pornography &/or have issues with their own sexuality. I'm fairly certain those are emotional statements not based in fact. There are different types of porn, and yes, some depicts women in a degrading manner. I am opposed to such depictions of women. However, a lot of porn features consenting adults engaged in mutually gratify scenarios. If watching this truly desensitized people, people would also be desensitized by masturbating or participating in their own sex lives. Furthermore, usually when a pedo gets busted, they find CHILD porn. This is because pedos aren't interested in adults- gay or straight. The porn angle proves nothing in this case. It's mentioned to make her look bad- sensationalism. If she is guilty, porn didn't make her do it.

• Lock her up and throw alway the key I don't care.......

• People are so distraught over someone touching a little girl on a specific part of her skin! Oh Noes she might make the little girls feel all good and tingly inside, lock her up!

• Chester the Molester!

• There's not enough evidence for me, so i can't decide either way. I do not doubt either side of the situation. This could be some kind of pay back or it could be that she's a molester . You can't just automatically say yes to either one. Not all children who play with themselves or with other children are abused. I'm not saying it applies in this case, but children are curious and I think there's even a psychological stage to describe it.

• Someone abused these girls, or they would not be sexualized like they were. It could have been this woman, and if the medical evidence really is there, then it likely was her. The profile of male abuser helps women who abuse get away with it (although it IS accurate to say that men abuse more frequently). Every time a sex abuse case comes up, my wife and I have to get our sarcasm hats out and wait for someone to say "oh but he was so respected in the community". So how many more cops, priests, boy scout leaders and teachers need to abuse before someone, anyone, realizes that positions of power attract predators? Everyone is so quick to suspect the marginalized people in our society of crime and so loathe to imagine that their "pillars of society" might do bad things.

• Might I add the fact that not all hymens break during molestation. In fact, there are some cases where the doctor has to insert a catheter and balloon it up just to get a clear view inside the child's vaginal canal.

• I'm not questioning the idea that these kids could be blaming the teacher for what they were doing. What I'm saying is, if the doctor has reasonable proof that these kids were in fact molested, then we need to find out who is responsible, whether it was the teacher or not. What's sad about this case is, if this teacher is not their abuser, no one is going to continue fighting to find out who actually did it, and more than likely..the abuse could continue because of that fact. As far as coming up with this stuff all on their own, I highly doubt it, these are young kids we're talking about, not 14, 15 year olds. This kind of thing was presented to the children in some way, shape, or form. As far as the porn thing goes, I question that as well, but I'm not basing my opinions on just that, but the whole case in its entirety. Porn can't seriously be linked to pedophilia, but to say that porn has no ill effect on people is absurd. And just because a hymen is broken doesn't mean they were molested. Hymens break from riding bikes and the like, but I will say that other things in regards to the loss of hymen are taken into consideration. Notches in the flesh, bruising, tearing, things that can be seen inside of a young girl that don't just happen from riding your bike. Though the hymen is gone, we shouldn't be seeing any signs of abuse in the vaginal canal. I'm leaving my mind open in this case, but I do know that children don't learn this on their own. They don't just wake up one day and say hey..let me go put my fingers inside my friend.

• Leslie, that's why we have a modern justice system, trial by jury of peers, etc, to ensure we have evolved since then. I think people are WAY too quick to compare these types of trials to something that happened 300+ years ago. You're referring to something that is so far removed from our federally regulated courts. There's no analogy remaining in the modern judicial system, in my opinion. On the other hand, I think those types of perspectives of empathizing so much with the accused could actually encourage people who might otherwise be on the fence to not take child molestation seriously. They are still innocent until proven guilty, but this is the best we can do, going through the motions until a reasonable doubt can be proven. A lot of people seem to be concerned about how these allegations ruin lives if not proven, but I'm like, what do you want, to require there to be fresh DNA before you're going to give a kid who reports this any respect/dignity?

• umm hmm I feel bad for "suspicious" jumping all over her ..she said porn "twists" the mind..like it or not..it has been proven that it DESENSITIZES people sexually.. in certain ways..even MEN watching straight have come forward and admitted this.... they saidit made them objectify women and disrespect them, as well as not be able to differentiate in the bedroom... as in..they couldnt "connect" emotionally with a real person and also they need more and more stimulation to get aroused...ok we know all that.... I agree that lesbian porn has nothing to do with child porn/abuse..but when your SINGLE and divorced...and around little girls all day and you go home to porn that is female-female..and you become desensitized AND you have OTHER problems..lets just NOT RULE OUT the lesbian porn factor. FACT IS..if this was a case about a MAN abusing little boys..and you found in his home a lot of adult male gay porn...no one would even hesitate to make a connection. when it comes to porn, its about a mentality.go ahead and google the effects of porn of the psyche/relationships etc besides, how do we know she was abused herself, in childhoodor something and for HER..that is why she likes lesbian porn ? no, we cant put everyone in ONE box... where the porn means nothing absolutely.it could mean a lot. turn it around THIS way.....if YOUR 5 year old son was in a class with a male teracher who watched gay porn...??? just remember that the teacher could be 50 while the "consenting" porn has 18 year old boys who look 15..with old men.

• Mark, you took the words right out of my mouth. This totally parallels the Salem Witch Trials. I can't say for sure whether the teacher did or did not do what she's being accused of, but the phenomenon of teenage girls all pointing to the "witch" in the community to explain away their own behavior and get attention is spot on. And I also have to say, how on earth could a forensics exam show that someone was -digitally- penetrated? That specific, really? It seems really far-fetched to me. Don't get me wrong, I think child molesters are the worst kind of perverted monsters to ever walk the face of the earth and I hope there is a hell just so they can burn in it. But I do think that sociological phenomena like the Salem Witch Trials still go on today (human nature not having changed in the past couple centuries) and I do think that there are some innocent teachers and soccer coaches behind bars right now for the same reason some women were burned at the stake in the late 1600s.

• Watching lesbian porn is NOT child porn.

• OK, of course someone else might have molested the kids, but the fact that the allegations are being made against this person favors ruling that possibility out. Of course, the issue of reasonable doubt is key. It's just...what are the odds? Sadly, the odds of any two kids both being molested are too high as it is, but it doesn't look good in this case. And yes, I'm aware of the fact that hymens aren't all intact until sexual activity. But we're talking 5 year olds. Two of them, accusing the same person. It would be a little statistically unlikely, if you ask me. Not VERY, but just enough that as a juror, I would really be taking it all extremely seriously. Obviously, they should anyway, but I would not be quick to judge innocence any more than guilt. I would think long and hard based on what I have heard thus far.

• The girls could have come up with this themselves and then blamed the teacher. Blaming someone else is common it doesn't take a teenager or a politician. The could have watch two divas trying to sell records kiss each other on TV. Who knows. @ J - Physically. You sure. Sometimes that tears on it own. I know every child get a physical exam once a year by a concerned physician. Its' checked out. It is not checked out we start pointing fingers and Find ourselves a witch and burn her.

• Good points, J and mrm1138. I'd also like to add that it was her EX HUSBAND who claimed that she watched lesbian porn (yeah, I bet it was not his idea and he HATED it... *eyeroll*). Forgive me if I don't take what he says as hard, cold, unbiased fact. I sure as hell wouldn't accuse her of being a pedophile or a sex addict based on *that* little nugget of moronic wisdom. He sounds like a loser with nothing of any relevance to contribute to the case, and so he started squwaking... kind of like poster "suspicious".

• unless Ms. Craft accidentally left a business card in there while she was violating them, i do not see how the doctor could provide "concrete proof that Craft" is the person who " digitally violated them". As noted by others, i find her so attractive that i tend to disbelief her guilt. that is dangerous.

• &#64;suspicious, I'm not going to weigh in on whether or not Ms. Craft is guilty because I haven't examined the evidence, but I think your stance that her enjoyment of "lesbian" pornography proves her to be a "pedaphile" [sic] is fairly ignorant. Someone being bisexual or bi-curious (or homosexual, for that matter) does not mean he/she is a pedophile. Likewise, someone enjoying pornography that features consenting adults does not mean he/she is a pedophile. And if there is proof that she's a sex addict, not even that proves that she's a pedophile. (I put the word "lesbian" in quotes because I highly doubt that the women featured in the pornography are actually lesbians. Bisexual, perhaps, but not lesbians.

• Wow, suspicious. You obviously haven't talked to that many women about sex if that surprises you. There is absolutely zero connection between pedophilia and being turned on by lesbianism. And a LOT of women, straight, bisexual and gay, like watching that. I guarantee it.

• So Sorry, But she fitsthe profile of a pedaphile in my opinion. She enjoys gay porn??? Who the hell would watch that and have a desire to be involved in teaching small children. Looking at that stuff twists your mind up, she's probably a sex addict if shes watching that stuff. She the typical child predator. She puts herself in position to attack, waits for an opportune time or creates one (through sleepovers). Then she victimizes. I think she did it. I think shes guilty of asssault on those kids. So do the police and the DA that charged her as well.

• Again, remember that these children were both sexualized socially and physically, according to the doctor, apparently. So, something needs to account for that. It's probably not some coincidence if the doctor's examination is infallible that all the kids in question don't have a hymen because someone else molested them. That will go a long way at trial, but I agree that tying the woman to it is another story. The thing is, if the doctor is to be trusted, SOMEONE did molest them, and when you consider the other evidence, I mean...who else is it gonna be? To CW, the thing about that Nevada case (I scanned over the link and could not find mention of it, so can you please give any other details) is that the things described in that article do, HAVE occured. There have been dozens of prosecutions for similar things, and I don't buy that they were all witch hunts or all based on victim testimony. The problem when people recant their stories as adults is that the public then can turn around and decide to throw the entire case out in their minds. Meanwhile, the conviction stands up based on the aggregate of ALL the evidence presented in those trials, a lot of which we aren't even privvy to. Until a judge actually overturns something, I take all accounts of people recanting their stories with a dose of skepticism. That has happened before under very dubious circumstances where I felt strongly that it did nothing to change my impression of the guilt of the convicted. You can't look at just one piece of the evidence without a really thorough review of everything the prosecution presented. It is very misleading if you do. Another thing you'll notice is that a lot of ritual sexual abuse naysayers will continually quote the same two cases, and say they were overturned. Whenever you hear that, go and check their facts, because in the majority of cases I've heard people make those claims, they are full of it. These trials are in appeal just like any other forever. Very few people were ever cleared after doing time. That's not to deny it is impossible for a wrongful conviction/incarceration, just that I think the people who want to convince everyone that ritual sexual abuse does not occur grossly exagerate. I can only suspect it is because they have an agenda, or they are just extremely naive and pollyannaish and live in a fantasy that world is not full of sick people. I don't know how you could hear some of the stories on here and have such a hard time believing ANY of that stuff could actually occur.

• Yeah, it makes me wonder if some of these kids aren't actually getting abused at home, or at the homes of their friends. I'm watching a lot of video testimony and such, and all I have to say is, I'm glad I'm not on that jury. Conflicting stories, possible forced memories created by the parents, etc. I have yet to read about the doctor's testimony, which is what I'm waiting for. Until then, from what I've seen so far, I'm considering this woman to be innocent.

• Hey Deborah Jean-yes you have a point also. Where did they get it from? if they have older siblings that might be the cause, as in my case having older brothers they brought alot of crap home.

• I do see problems in this case, many many problems. Because statements are conflicting with the children, the entire case is going to rest solely on the doctor's testimony. The problem with that is, he's not only going to have to prove that the crime was committed, but he's going to have to tie that crime to this teacher somehow, and I seriously doubt that he can do that. I question if that's even possible considering that she's claimed to have only digitally penetrated them.

• Yes, there is reasonable doubt, but I'm still questioning what evidence this doctor has. If these children did lie, they still had to learn about it somewhere, either through internet or from another person. I'm not sure how they would know about this kind of thing if they weren't subjected to it somehow.

• There was a case in Nevada (where I'm from) and there were many children that accused the owners/teachers of a day care center of molesting them. These kids even testified and had horrendous details of animal sex, sacrifice and so on. The accused were found guilty and did some time over it. Later on, the kids came forward and recanted their story, admitted they lied. This link talks about this and other instances http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume4/j4_1_6.htm It's a long read but worth it. I was abused by my older brother and tried to tell my birth mother about it but she said to quit trying to get my brother in trouble. So I'm not saying this woman isn't guilty, but there is reasonable doubt here.

• I do know how kids can get ideas in their heads, imagination tends to run wild at that age. Even with taking that into consideration, I have to question what kind of incident would have brought up a child to imagine sex, and go as far as "fingering" another. A man walked past their room, then "fingered" the door handle. Sure, that's what did it I guess. I can't understand how someone could honestly believe these parents conspired this whole thing because their child got held back in school. They might want to think of something better than that. I'd like to know what kind of "concrete" evidence this doctor has. It's the only thing stopping me from forming an opinion regarding her guilt or innocence. Children may change stories, but you also have to question what kind of fear they might be dealing with, they're getting ready to face their alleged abuser for crying out loud. That can't be easy for any child to do. And please tell me why it's not possible to cry yourself to sleep without being seen or heard. Maybe the children at the party were already sleeping when this other girl was crying silently. Oh I forgot, all children typically fall asleep at the same time. Ugh, this still leaves me to question, so hopefully the doctor's testimony will shed some light.

• Can we say "Witch Hunt"? Why not just use the same tests we once used to determine if an accused woman was a Witch for whether an accused woman is a Pedo? Just bind her up and throw her in the water. If she floats, she's a Pedo and should be burned at the stake, and if she drowns, then "Oops, our bad" she was actually innocent to begin with. It's scary how easy it is to get "fingered" as a Witch/Pedo and have your life forever ruined because of it. Granted, if she *IS* guilty, then burn her! However, if all the Prosecution has is conflicting Testimony that amounts to nothing more than Hearsay to begin with, then she deserves a "Not Guilty" verdict, as this is clearly not enough Evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. Besides, her life is ruined already, and the damage already done. She is never going to work with children again, and most likely never get her kids back, and forever will be suspect in her neighbor's eyes. The Courts can't really dole out any more of a severe sentence than she has already endured.

• I'm not so sure about this story. I need to see nude pics of her before I can determine whether she is a molester.

• "a scorned parent who was upset that Craft held her child back in school"??? getting left back in ...kindergarten?? lol,..oh yeah,..this is Chickamauga Georgia

• I agree with Moet-and to add to that. My daughter was about 4 or so when this happened. I was giving her a bath and she heard someone walking down this hallway that ran outside our apartment (between apartments but on the outside wall) of the bathroom. She asked who it was and I said not to worry it was just someone walking down the hallway outside. Later that evening she told her father that while Mommy was giving her a bath there was a man standing in the hallway. I think there is reasonable doubt here also and I am truly scared for this woman because it does sound like someone is out for blood.

• The tendency is to hope we can apply a formula or profile to the sex offender, and I see a real danger in this of ovelooking that someone will always defy the mold. A few years ago, women would not be suspect simply for not fitting the profile of a man! All I can say for anyone thinking she is incapable of this is, if they find her innocent, I sure hope they keep trying to get to the bottom of who DID teach these kids about sex and who deflowered them. Agreed that there is no relationship between a woman watching lesbian porn and molesting girls - that was prob a bad move on the prosecution's part unless that ex was willing to testify he caught her w/child pornography. However, the doctor's examinations def. don't bode well for her. Mainly I want to say don't assume someone couldn't teach for 15 years without an earlier accusation/offense. Imagine that this could be a latent sickness she struggled with all those years and either showed restraint, kept her victim's on her side or they wouldn't dare talk. Maybe she only recently allowed herself to cross the line.

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