Tonya Craft not guilty
Tonya Craft
Supporters of Tonya Craft emerge from the courthhouse Tuesday after the verdict. (Catoosa New photo/Mark Andrews)
5:20 p.m.
Not guilty on all counts.
5:15 p.m.
Outside courtroom several local and national news organization awaiting verdict. About three dozen people are outside the courthouse and the downtown area is packed with vehicles and parking is limited.
5:11 p.m.
They are letting spectators in slowly but surely. Craft, her husband and her attorneys are standing behind the defense desk waiting on things to get started. The pews are about halfway full right now with others eagerly trying to get in. Officers and bailiffs are surrounding the interior of the courtroom. Security is heavier than it has been in recent days.
5:06 p.m.
The court is allowing 39 people for the state's side and 25 on the defense side. There is a list. If they are not media or on the list for each side, they're not letting them in.
5 p.m.
Tonya Craft has arrived at the courthouse with defense attorney Demosthenes Lorandos.
4:58 p.m.
It's electric in here. Everybody is running around a little crazy. There are people lining the streets outside, waiting on the news.
4:54 p.m.
The hallway outside the courtroom is completely packed. Defense attorney Scott King is standing right outside the courtroom door. Supporters led by Jennifer Sullivan are waiting behind the metal detectors to be let in.
4:52 p.m.
Tonya Craft isn't here. They had to call her in from her parents house in East Ridge, Tenn.
Become a CatWalkChatt Facebook fan
Get breaking news alerts. Make comments. Tell us the latest development on a story. Share your photos. To become a fan click here, then click on the "Like" button at the top of our Facebook page. Also, follow us on Twitter.
I am a member of FAST (False Allegation solution team)
My husband was wrongfully convicted because I stood by him lost custody of my children even though I was never said to do anything.
We did not have the money or resources to hire a great lawyer to defend against this.
I sure hope that Tonya gets her children back.
I sure hope that maybe she can shed some light on how easy it is to be falsely accused and convicted of these horrible crimes and how lucky she is.
You can bring a suit against the county / district attorney's office for malicious prosecution. However, you should be aware that they have a certain level of immunity for good faith mistakes, and the burden would be on you to prove that you where done wrong.
You can bring a suit against the police department if they lied in order to convince the district attorney's office to prosecute you. Again, this is a steep burden because they have a certain amount of immunity that insulates them from innocent mistakes
You can also file a civil suit against the person who falsely accused you, in which case you may be able to recover for losses caused
by being falsely accused.
Remember no one is aboved being sued, but it don't mean you will win. But for what it is worth Tonya Craft has a good chance at what
ever she goes at after today.
This big man upstairs as you call him, could
this be our Lord and Savour Jesus Christ, who
died on the cross so we might have everlasting
life. yes, then give Him the respect as our Savour and refer to Him by His name. Don't bring Him down to slang name, as the big man upstairs.
First of all, there is a famous quote that says "But, before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean" (Bob Marley). I have seen a lot of bashing and criticizing that is very uncalled for. Everyone wants to scream that the prosecution on this case was destroying Tonya'a character and attacking her but what I see is a lot of Tonya supporters bashing the Catoosa Co Government, Judge House, Chris Arnt and Lynn Gregor, the DA's office, the detectives, the parents and children (victims) and ANYONE who remotely supports any of the above. I guarentee if these were YOUR children, all of the above professionals would be qualified to defend and protect them when in need. I also see people talking about how "uneducated" the prosecution and Judge are, however you guys must take a minute to think about the things you are saying. How in the world do you suppose you can "vote OUT" the assistant disrict attorneys when they weren't voted IN? They ARE NOT elected officials so good luck with that endeavor. Also, are any of you going to run against Judge House when the election comes around? If so, I would like to know what YOUR qualifications are. Please explain. Dont worry, I'll wait.
As far as everyone saying "Sue the DA's office and the Sherriff's office", they are immune to being sued. This means you CANT sue them OR their employees. Might need to start researching further to see who's next on your "to sue..." list.
And God forbid anyone living in Catoosa County EVER, EVER need help or assistance of any kind from the Catoosa County Government such as the DA's office, the Sherriff's office or possibly another government entity such as Food Stamps, Peachcare, WIC, Welfare. They are all tied together, you know?
The only people walking away with a "fat" wallet is the defense team. Dont you understand that the ADA's make the same amount of money prosecuting this case as they would the next. This was not about money because if it were, dont you think the victim's parents would be satisfied that Tonya's defense team was paid $500K?
You wanted the national media and you got the national media. But then what happened? They came, they reported and they DIDNT say what you wanted them to, therefore "they were wrong and not qualified".
I've thought throughout this entire trial, no matter what the verdict, everyone will still believe what they want and thats what we are entitled to. I just find it funny that the defense brought in all character witnesses and HIGHLY paid expert witnesses. You might know someone very well and talk about what a great person they are and put them on a pedestal but no matter what, you never know what happens behind closed doors. This is another reason it is hard for me to believe so many people jumped on the bandwagon and said she didn't do it. Were you there? Do you have any facts OTHER than what the local media has presented you with?
I keep seeing people talk about other cases in Catoosa Co where people were "railroaded" and you keep threatening to post links to the stories, but I have YET to see any stories because you say "I have better things to do". Interesting.
I support Chris Arnt, Lynn Gregor and Brian House 100% because they did their JOB. The prosecutors PROSECUTED a case that passed the Grand Jury who said it was good enough to take to trial. That is proof enough that this is NOT a personal vendetta against Tonya. You can't just get mad at someone and head over to the DA's office to have them prosecuted.
I am absolutely heartbroken for the children and pray that they will be able to continue with their lives as normal as possible. If someone is truly guilty of a crime and does not answer for it now, there will always come a time when they have to answer for it later when they get to meet up with the Big Man upstairs. He knows all which scares a lot of people.
I don't know you, but me and my friends have really been praying that the truth would come out. The twelve jurors did a great job. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths." God Bless you and your family. I will still be praying for you.