Tonya Craft Trial Begins

We get the first glimpse into the Tonya Craft case with opening statements from both sides Tuesday.

Since lawyers are using the names of the alleged victims we have to be very careful in selecting what you can hear and read about, since NewsChannel 9 has a policy to not identify alleged sexual abuse victims.

With that said, it is clear we are now getting into a very emotional and graphic case.

Prosecutor Len Gregor told the jury during his opening statement that the first hint of alleged sexual abuse surfaced during a pool party about two years ago. That's when a girl, one of several who had been at Tonya Craft's Catoosa County home for sleepovers with her daughter, told her parents about a game she and others played.

"She said we play this boyfriend-girlfriend game and [name deleted] kisses me, she kisses me on the cheek and she touches my privates," Gregor said.

Catoosa County Detective Sergeant Timothy Deal said that conversation began when one of the alleged victims wrote the words "sex" and "kiss it" on the deck of the pool and a parent began questioning the child about what she meant. After parents discussed the writing, Deal said they called his department to investigate.

"I was kind of hoping that this was something just between children, but later found out Ms. Craft was involved," Deal said during a hearing before opening statements to settle a pre-trial motion.

Deal went on to say that after interviewing children he discovered that three girls had been sexually violated, and that the girls said Craft had fondled them and digitally penetrated them. In all more than 20 criminal counts alleging sexual molestation were filed against the former Chickamauga Elementary School teacher.

Deal said Craft at first appeared willing to cooperate with the investigation, but then failed to show up for an interview and later asked Deal to leave her property when he came to her house with a Department of Family and Children's Services worker.

But one of Craft's four attornies, Demosthenes Lorandos, said during his opening statements "it didn't happen, it couldn't have happened the way they say, it doesn't make sense."

Lorandos is also a clinical psychologist, who said the children were coerced into making false statements. The flamboyant Michigan attorney gave a fire-and-brimstone style presentation at times yelling at jurors, while at other times employing a host of theatrics and a tone of mocking state witnesses. 

Lorandos also said at least one of the parents of a child in question wanted revenge against Craft because he said Craft did not want to advance their daughter to another grade in school.

With regard to some of the state's evidence based on a physical exam of one of the girls, Lorandos said "when any of us gets a case of repeated diarrhea you got to wipe so often that, Holy Toledo, Charmin is not good enough so well, she gets diaper rash."

Gregor told the jury they will hear from children on the witness stand and they will see the video taped interviews they gave investigators as the case was being developed.

"You will see the meltdowns, you will see and hear about the fear, you will see and hear about the nightmares these girls suffer," Gregor said.

Testimony from the prosecution's first witness begins Wednesday morning in Catoosa County Superior Court.