I was falsely accused of an unspeakable crime against my six-year-old daughter – it left my life in tatters

MUM-OF-TWO Tonya Craft’s life was destroyed after she was subjected to shocking accusations.

Here, the 53-year-old reveals how she fought for two years to clear her name and regain custody of her kids.

Chattanooga Times Free Press

In the middle of the night, my six-year-old daughter Aden climbed into my bed, upset by a bad dream.

“Mummy loves you,” I said, holding her tight. “I’m never going to go anywhere.”

I didn’t know then that, the next day, I would be forced to break that promise when a knock at my door turned our life upside down – and led to my children being taken away without so much as a goodbye.

It was May 2008, and I was already having a difficult year.

My marriage to my husband David was heading towards divorce and he’d recently moved out.

Things were also strained with my ex-husband Joal, the father of Aden and her older brother Kohl, then eight.

And although I loved my job as a primary school teacher in Georgia, USA, I’d recently butted heads with some of the kids’ mothers.

In our small town, apparently they were a big deal, and I heard that I’d “messed with the wrong families”.

But it was the start of the school holidays and I couldn’t wait to hit the pool with the kids.

That’s when I opened my door to two policemen and heard the words that changed my life forever.

“We need to ask you about your daughter and some touching,” one of the officers said. “You’ve been accused of molesting three little girls.”

I struggled to breathe.

Then he named my accusers: Skylar, the daughter of one of my best friends; Brianna, whose mum was no longer speaking to me because I’d scolded her daughter a few weeks earlier at Aden’s birthday party; and another little girl called Chloe*.

My mind flew back to 2006.

Molestation allegations

Chloe’s mum Kelly had confronted me hysterically, saying that she’d heard her daughter and Aden had been “touching” each other.

I’d taken Aden to a doctor, who found nothing, and I’d watched her closely for behaviour changes.

The girls were no longer friends. My mind was such a mess.

I was utterly horrified, but promised to come to the station as soon as I found someone to look after the children.

I contacted a lawyer, then called my mum Betty and dad Tony to come and watch the kids.

Hanging up the phone to them, my legs gave way and I crashed to the floor.

Arriving at my house, my parents looked horrified.

I agreed Dad should take the kids for ice cream, knowing Joal would soon be collecting them for his weekend with them.

Then the doorbell rang again.

Terminated from my job, I was physically exhausted and tortured by what I’d been accused of

Tonya Craft

It was the police, insisting I sign something stating I’d have no contact with my children until they’d both been interviewed.

Hours later, I received a voicemail from Aden, whispering: “Mummy, I love you. I won’t be seeing you for a very long time. Bye.”

I felt heartbroken, scared and desperate to see my children.

In the days that followed, I couldn’t eat or sleep and I ached for Aden and Kohl.

I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I was terrified, and the unanswered questions tortured me.

What had I actually been accused of? And how did this relate to Aden?

On June 11, 2008 – 12 days after the police had first arrived at my door – my lawyer called and told me there was a warrant out for my arrest, so I handed myself in to the local police station.

Seeing my name on the arrest warrants, I had to close my eyes to stop myself vomiting.

One had Chloe’s name, one Brianna’s and the third was Aden.

Skylar’s name not being listed was just one of hundreds of things I didn’t understand.

Unable to make any sense of it all, I couldn’t understand how anyone could be so evil to encourage children to make up such disgusting lies

Tonya

I felt sick as I read the details of what I was being accused of – abusing the girls several times over a two-year period, when they stayed at my house for what had been innocent sleepovers.

How was it possible for these girls, for my own daughter, to be saying I’d done these things? I just couldn’t understand it.

By then, Aden and Kohl were living with Joal and his wife.

Meanwhile, my parents put up the $50,000 bail money and I was eventually allowed to leave the station, but by then the case had made the news.

If I’d seen that report of a suspected child molester, I’d think: “They deserve to die,” and I knew that’s what people were thinking about me.

AP

Some amazing friends stood by me, but I was paranoid every time I stepped outside, certain that people recognised and judged me.

Terminated from my job, I was physically exhausted and tortured by what I’d been accused of.

I didn’t know if it was the girls’ mothers who’d put them up to it, and if Joal was to blame for Aden’s claims.

Tortured by lies

But why would they do that?

Unable to make any sense of it all, I couldn’t understand how anyone could be so evil to encourage children to make up such disgusting lies.

In the depths of despair, I made a decision: I was going to do whatever it took to clear my name and get my children back.

I focused on gathering evidence that might help me, including taking a lie-detector test, which I passed.

I also went to court to try to get access to my children, but this failed.

The only moment of light was five months after my arrest, when I reconciled with David, who said he knew I was innocent.

I still loved him, and having his support through this nightmare felt vital.

That December, 199 days since I’d hugged my son, I was allowed a supervised visit with Kohl in a restaurant.

I went to court to try to get access to my children, but this failed

Tonya Craft

Seeing how he stiffened at my touch cut my heart to shreds, though I tried to put on a front to soothe him.

When I felt things couldn’t get any worse, I was arrested again, a year after the first arrest, and this time I was held in jail for 24 hours.

The fear, the humiliation of a strip and cavity search, and the horror of being shackled in court and hearing that I was being charged with “digital penetration of a six-year-old girl” was completely horrendous.

Sitting alone in my tiny cell, I didn’t feel human.

I wondered how on earth I, an innocent mother, had got here, and whether I was going to spend the rest of my life locked up.

I was charged with 22 counts of child molestation, aggravated child molestation and aggravated sexual battery.

If I was convicted on all counts, I was told I’d face at least 400 years in prison.

Released on bail, I sold my house, while my parents cashed in their inheritance and refinanced their home, so I could afford the $500,000 for my defence fees.

I saw Kohl occasionally – but never Aden.

Finally, on April 13, 2010, my trial began, attracting media from all over the country.

I walked into the courtroom, terrified but determined.

I knew this was my chance to clear my name.

Broken heart

During the five-and-a-half-week trial, I controlled my fury and anguish at the lies I heard in court from the prosecution lawyer, and held my emotions in check as Joal was called as a prosecution witness and as Brianna and Chloe gave evidence.

But when Aden walked in and took the stand, I began to sob.

My beautiful six year old daughter was now eight, and I couldn’t believe how tall she was.

Her sparkle had gone, she seemed troubled and distant.

It broke my heart.

Although she didn’t testify to any molestation, prosecutors claimed she corroborated the at-times inconsistent testimony of the other two girls.

Waiting to hear the verdict after two days of deliberation, I felt like a ghost. Was I going to prison for the rest of my life, or would I be free?

Tonya Croft

I insisted on taking the stand, too, and I was determined as I told the judge and jury: “I did not and have not sexually abused any child.”

My defence argued that the girls were caught touching each other, then turned the focus on me, setting off a chain of events that eventually involved Joal and others with an axe to grind against me.

On May 11, 2010, waiting to hear the verdict after two days of deliberation, I felt like a ghost.

Was I going to prison for the rest of my life, or would I be free?

Hearing “not guilty” to all 22 charges, I nearly collapsed. I was free.

At a press conference afterwards, I stood up and said I was the victim of personal grudges and a broken legal system, while my lawyer added: “Sloppy interviews, last-minute falsified and fraudulent evidence, terrible interviews of children – [Tonya] endured it all.

“She will continue to endure it all.”

Three days after the verdict, I was allowed to see Aden for the first time in two years with her therapist also present.

It was both awkward and awful.

My heart broke to see her shrink away from me.

But I told myself to be patient, and over subsequent visits, she gradually started to relax around me.

Tears of relief

But the nightmare wasn’t over yet – I still had to fight to regain custody of my children.

Six months later, a few days into our scheduled custody hearing, I took Joal into a room and said: “Look me in the eye and tell me you believe I did this.”

He said to me: “I know you didn’t do it.”

It was such a relief, I just broke down and cried.

We came to an agreement to share custody of our children and walked out of the room together, telling our lawyers what we’d decided.

Two-and-a-half years after they’d been taken from me, my children came home.

Slowly, I rebuilt my relationship with both of them.

I never pushed Aden to explain her accusations – all she remembers is her dad said it, so she thought it must be true, though deep down she never truly believed it.

As for Joal, I never confronted him about why he initially claimed I was an abuser.

For the sake of our children, I have tried to keep things as amicable as I can with him.

I will never know why the mums of the other girls – who I am no longer friends with – lied either.

All our lives were destroyed, but to move on, I had to forgive everyone who hurt me.

I took my pain and turned it into something positive.

I studied law and qualified as a lawyer in January 2018, and now I fight to help others who have also been falsely accused of crimes, which is hugely rewarding.

I am very close to both my children.

Aden is now 23 and Kohl 25, and thankfully, they’re happy in their lives.

I will never forget the horrors of what I went through, but I have learned that I’m stronger than I ever thought possible.

Even during the darkest of days, my love for my children is stronger than anything.

*Names have been changed

• Accused: My Fight For Truth, Justice & The Strength To Forgive by Tonya Craft and Mark Dagostino, is out now.