GA - *ACQUITTED* Tonya Craft, teacher, faced 22 false counts of child molestation

[Linda7NJ]

i dont think the kids made up the molestation anymore.

i think its been redirected from who actually did it.

Why? Why do you believe they aren't lying about being molested but are lying about who did it? What is it about this woman that so many can not even imagine she is a child molester?

 

[Linda7NJ]

remember i said i heard tonya thought, due to her daughters behavior, that her father was molesting her. from the looks of it, she had the right tree, but the wrong branch. and if you think im falsely accusing step mom, tell me, other then Micheal jackson, who thinks its normal behavior to bathe with a 7 year old or have them shave your pubic region?

No, it's not normal behavior by any stretch of the imagination. However, I feel that is a separate issue and allegation. IMO It isn't one or the other....it's both.

 

[kbl8201]

because we see molesters manipulate kids into not telling they were even molested, how hard is it to imagine they could be manipulated into misidentifying who molested them, linda?

with threats like 'i'll kill your daddy/brother/mother if you dont do this'? how is that so hard to believe?

 

[kbl8201]

no i dont feel that is a seperate issue or allegation. i feel it is all connected.

 

[kbl8201]

another thing. when your case is built on garbage you ask the defendent stuff like 'why was your wedding dress so tight?"

 

[Linda7NJ]

in the hands of the jury now!

great article

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_175323.asp

 

[Linda7NJ]

another thing. when your case is built on garbage you ask the defendant stuff like 'why was your wedding dress so tight?"

Personally, I find the defense implying that a sexually abused child would never ever smile, especially in pictures .........eyeroll....desparate and the run of the mill defense of a child molester spew...imo.

 

[elle1919]

Jury deliberated 3 hours then went home for the night. I am just on pins and needles to see the outcome of this one.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_175323.asp

They will reconvene in the morning. Note to self... check thread!

 

[justthinkin]

Personally, I find the defense implying that a sexually abused child would never ever smile, especially in pictures .........eyeroll....desparate and the run of the mill defense of a child molester spew...imo.

I agree with you on this, Linda, 100%. I find the accused with a ready answer for everything, and very slick with her answers. There's just something off about her in the face of such an accusation. She reminds me of someone on the show, Survivor. She's going to outwit, outplay outlast. It's subtle, and she's very good at hiding what she is IMO.

 

[Jade]

Complete coverage of the case:

http://www.newsrunner.com/entity/nation/tonya-craft/3052077563/0/0


Having followed the trail I was surprised to hear that person on Today say there
were injuries as if it was a proven fact there were signs of penetration.

Here is a recap of the testimony in which the exams revealed “suspicious” results.

Defense presented information that refuted:



http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_173505.asp


Also on Today the woman said Ms Craft said didn’t know why she was
being accused. According to testimony it is because “she ticked off” the parents:


http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_175191.asp



Here is an excerpt of the testimony from WRCB [within a blog] that the person
on the Today show finds so convincing:

http://reason.com/blog/2010/04/15/tonya-crafts-alleged-victim-re

From a local radio station news blog - Ms Craft passed a lie detector test twice:

http://www.wgow.com/Article.asp?id=1775958&spid=19588

More from that stations news blog:

http://www.wgow.com/Article.asp?id=1787462&spid=19588

http://www.wgow.com/Article.asp?id=1773202&spid=19588


It was four weeks of trial so there is a lot to read before one can really
draw a conclusion IMO.

 

[Linda7NJ]

"Also on Today the woman said Ms Craft said didn’t know why she was
being accused. According to testimony it is because “she ticked off” the parents:


http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_175191.asp"






That's not what the testimony ferreted out. That was Ms. Craft's version. Phone records prove at least one parent was very friendly with her and unaware of any sexual molestation up until police contacted HER wanting to interview her daughter!

 

[butwhatif?]

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/37015514#37015514

Here's the link I promised. It is a video and has footage of Tonya testifying in court. An expert also weighs in. Hope this link works.

joeskidbeck, Thank you for your kind comments. This case really intrigues me as I am a former teacher. It's a tough job. I hope and pray justice is brought either way but I have doubts of Tonya being guilty of these charges. All Moo.

wm

If the above link doesn't work, here's the link to Today's main page. Scroll down to 'headlines'.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/

Thanks for the link. All I can say is ,I got the same vibe from the Dad on the stand as I did with RC in his first interview, and that is FAKE !

But the def atty saying she didn't have time to abuse children is ridiculous. Where there's a will there's a way- not that I am convinced of her guilt.
When did she speak to a doc about the kids? Before or after the allegations were made against her?

 

[butwhatif?]

Finally, the story from Tonya in today's testimony:

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_175164.asp

I tried to imagine that this testimony was coming from a male. If it was, I would be thinking that all the great things this teacher did for the kids and their families would seem like grooming.

But there's one paragraph that leads me to believe she is likely innocent.

A peodophile doesn't use tools like the 'good choices' book.
JMO

“You always talk to your students about making good choices, don’t you?” asked the attorney. “Yes.”

Dr. Lorandos showed the witness a book and asked what it was. Ms. Craft identified it as “The Good Choices Book” she and her daughter had used to identify good choices the child had made during a day. A copy of the book is submitted so that the witness could keep the original.

 

[butwhatif?]

I just finished watching Wendy Murphy on the above Today link....

Two of the little girls had vaginal injuries.

IMO It's not looking good for Ms. Craft.

But who caused the injuries? I've been in a situation where a child told me one person was abusing her, but it turns out it was likely a different person, and she was coached to blame the other.

I'm not convinced either way yet.

 

[butwhatif?]

Has Tonya had any previous psych issues that were brought up in the trial?
TIA

I'm really on the fence about this one. Something's not sitting right. It seems like she has two very different sides to her personality. A very wholesome one, and an overtly sexual one.

If it were a male, I know I'd think he was gulity as heck.
It's just so hard to wrap your head around a woman, a mother,a teacher doing these things.
But we know it can , and has happened in other cases.

Really curious to see what the jury decides.

 

[cuppy199]

Complete coverage of the case:

http://www.newsrunner.com/entity/nation/tonya-craft/3052077563/0/0


Having followed the trail I was surprised to hear that person on Today say there
were injuries as if it was a proven fact there were signs of penetration.

Here is a recap of the testimony in which the exams revealed “suspicious” results.

Defense presented information that refuted:



http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_173505.asp


Also on Today the woman said Ms Craft said didn’t know why she was
being accused. According to testimony it is because “she ticked off” the parents:


http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_175191.asp



Here is an excerpt of the testimony from WRCB [within a blog] that the person
on the Today show finds so convincing:

http://reason.com/blog/2010/04/15/tonya-crafts-alleged-victim-re

From a local radio station news blog - Ms Craft passed a lie detector test twice:

http://www.wgow.com/Article.asp?id=1775958&spid=19588

More from that stations news blog:

http://www.wgow.com/Article.asp?id=1787462&spid=19588

http://www.wgow.com/Article.asp?id=1773202&spid=19588


It was four weeks of trial so there is a lot to read before one can really
draw a conclusion IMO.

Thanks for sharing the links. I have to say after reading the blogs at the radio station and seeing someone comment about it caught my eye. Their are two blogs entry where someone says something about someone being accused of something by one of the people who are accusing this women. Im wondering if these womens lawyer has done a check on this people. Im really starting to think there is something off about this whole case.

 

[kbl8201]

when it comes out in 10 years (after she's been convicted, locked away, and forgotten) that the stepmom was guilty, guilty alone, and had manipulated her victims into saying whatever she wanted, dont be shocked.

 

[Special K]

True, but is it not possible that a woman can be overtly sexual and still be appropriate with children? Being a sexual person doesn't necessarily mean you'd involve children. I think you can be a good mom and still be sexy - with adults.

I was watching the Today Show this morning and Wendy Murphy implied that since Ms. Craft had a relationship with a woman she was capable of these crimes. Even Matt Lauer had to break with the neutral and call her out on that. Seriously, what kind of logic is that? Women *are* capable of abusing children, but the kind of clothes they wear, or having consenting adult homosexual relationships, are not indicators of that at all. I can't believe those things were even allowed in the trial, let alone alleged on national TV.

Some of the bloggers in this case have alleged that the vaginal injuries she mentioned on The Today Show may not have been properly assessed either. I don't know, and honestly I don't really want to know details, but there's at least some doubt out there about the validity of that claim.

We talked a lot about childhood memory in my college psychology classes, specifically in connection with things like the Little Rascals case. And the truth is, kids DO lie, or misremember, or mis-report. Especially the very young ones. Asking a young child repeatedly "Is there anything else?" is a blueprint for getting an outrageous tall tale. Kids want to please, and if they think adults are displeased with the stories they're telling, they DO have the imaginations to come up with more. These interrogations, at least as reported, sound incredibly mis-handled.

I can't say for sure what The Truth is in this case, but something very weird is going on here. I'm not sure it's an active conspiracy, but it very well might be a grudge snowballed in with a lot of ignorance about sexuality and child psychology.

 

[kbl8201]

im sure that comment made a lot of gays and lesbians happy

 

[LadyL]

I'm siding with innocent.
Those who've destroyed her should go to prison.
And I hope those kids can forget about this drama quickly.