Accused My Fight for Truth, Justice, and the Strength to Forgive

by Craft, Tonya; Dagostino, Mark

• ISBN13: 9781941631737
• ISBN10: 1941631738
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-09-01
• Publisher: Benbella Books

Summary

This is the true story of a woman who prevailed against the most heinous accusations imaginable.

Tonya Craft, a Georgia kindergarten teacher and loving mother of two, never expected a knock on her door to change her life forever. But in May 2008, false accusations of child molestation turned her world upside down. The trial that followed dragged her reputation through the mud and lent nationwide notoriety to her name.

Tonya's life spiraled into a witch-trial nightmare in which she was deemed guilty before her innocence could be determined by a jury. Her children were taken away without even a goodbye, and her own daughter was forced to take the stand against her in a courtroom. The situation seemed hopeless, and Tonya was shell-shocked and heartbroken. But that didn't keep her from finding the strength to fight.

Over the course of two terrifying years, Tonya rallied to take charge of her own defense, flying across the country and knocking on doors on a desperate quest for answers, and defying her own lawyers on more than one occasion. Tonya's goal was not only to avoid conviction; it was to clear her name, and, most of all, regain custody of her children.

Accused is about more than Tonya's shocking trial and fight for justice. It is the story of a mother's extraordinary love, the faith that sees her through it all, and the forgiveness that sets her free.

Author Biography

Tonya Craft was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by two wonderful parents. Immediately following high school, Tonya attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with the desire to become an educator. Tonya obtained her Bachelor of Science in Education and began teaching at the middle school level but quickly found her niche with elementary students. Soon, Tonya faced life as a single mother, creating a personal training business and taking a position as a literacy trainer with UT Chattanooga. She earned her Master’s Degree in Education with a reading and literacy specialization while teaching kindergarten full time in Northern Georgia. Since winning her court battle and being acquitted on all twenty-two counts, Tonya has served as a consultant on a variety of child molestation cases. She is pursuing a law degree and is committed to helping others. She lives near Chattanooga with her two children.

Mark Dagostino is a New York Times–bestselling coauthor and former senior writer for People magazine. As a journalist, he was on the scene when JFK Jr.'s plane went down, reported from Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11, and stood witness to the Miracle on the Hudson. He also cut his teeth in the courtroom, learning valuable lessons from the Pamela Smart case in his home state of New Hampshire, covering Rosie O'Donnell's $100-million lawsuit with publisher Gruner+Jahr, and more. Along the way, he quietly became one of the most respected celebrity journalists in the business. Today, he's back in his home state, where he lives a somewhat quieter life with his two children.