Georgia Teacher Tonya Craft Exonerated in Child Molestation Trial

Tonya Craft, a 37-year-old former Chickamauga Elementary School teacher, was exonerated on Tuesday of all 22 charges of child molestation, aggravated child molestation, and aggravated sexual assault, according to the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. Having already lost her job, her children, and her home, Tonya has spent almost two years facing the rest of her life in prison. Her trial has had the North Georgia and Chattanooga area riveted for the past three weeks.

Tonya broke down into tears as she was quickly ushered out of the courtroom by her attorneys following the reading of "not guilty" after the 22 counts she was charged with. She has reportedly received death threats, and her attorney, Dr. Demosthenes Lorandos, confirmed this on the Today Show on Wednesday.

It has also been reported that Assistant District Attorney Len Gregor covered his face with a notebook when leaving the Catoosa County courthouse following the not guilty verdict. A reporter for local NBC affiliate WRCB, Callie Starnes, who reported from the courthouse daily via Twitter, says that she attempted to talk to Mr. Gregor and fellow Assistant District Attorney Chris Arnt this morning. She reports that Arnt has "no comment," and Gregor is "taking time off". She also tweeted that District Attorney, Buzz Franklin, is also refusing to comment.

Almost two years ago, Tonya was arrested based on allegations stemming from a party that had occurred at her private home. Two young children, aged 5 and 6, had been caught touching each other inappropriately, and, according to the defense team, the story had been twisted to accuse Tonya of doing the inappropriate touching.

Residents of the small North Georgia town of Chickamauga are still largely divided over whether or not they believed that the accusers were telling the truth, or whether they were manipulated into believing that they had, in fact, been molested. One of the accusers was Tonya's own daughter, a fact not revealed until the trial was over.

Tonya Craft appeared on the Today Show on Wednesday morning, and commented that, "I never thought I could have been arrested for something I didn't do, so it's like I absolutely had to expect the worst." She also said that she had done a lot of research on people who had been falsely accused for similar acts, and even spoke with adults who had been part of false allegations as children.

Tonya also indicated that she would be filing on Wednesday to regain custody of her children.

She ended her Today Show interview by commenting, "The children that are part of false accusations are just as devastated as children that truly are molested."