Wednesday, October 1, 2003
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Wednesday, October 1, 2003 |
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Father on trial denies molesting son, 3 By JOHN MUNFORD
A Senoia woman testified Monday that her son told her last year he had been molested two years before by his biological father at a Tyrone residence. Amy Reynolds Waldrop said her son, now 5, confided in her while using the restroom at the Subway restaurant in Peachtree City on Feb. 11, 2002. She said her son first said it was "Drew" who did it, referring to Andrew Clayton Vansant, who is on trial for one count of aggravated child molestation. Vansant testified Tuesday that he did not molest the victim at any time. He also confirmed that he had been molested by his grandfather at his grandparent's East Point home when he was "9 or 10 years old." "I didn't tell anyone because my grandfather died shortly thereafter," Vansant said, adding that he finally revealed the transgression to his church youth group when he was about 15 years old. The defense was still presenting witnesses at press time Tuesday afternoon, making it unlikely a jury verdict would be reached before Wednesday. Monday, Waldrop testified that she didn't ask many questions of her son when he told her Vansant molested him because she was a police officer and she might be accused of attempting to coach her son. "I was still so shocked," said Waldrop, who is now an investigator with the Clayton County District Attorney's Office. Vansant's attorney, Lloyd Walker, said the victim at first denied Vansant did anything wrong during his first forensic interview. "The first time the child talked to a professional, he said 'No, nothing happened,'" Walker said. Waldrop said her son would visit Vansant on the weekends at Vansant's parents' home in Tyrone before Vansant agreed to terminate his parental rights in April of 2000. Phillip Koons, a forensic interviewer who first spoke to the victim about the incident, said while the boy denied the molestation took place, he felt something was missing from the boy's story so he referred the child for a forensic evaluation. It was during the forensic evaluation, conducted by another agency, that the victim came forward and said Vansant molested him, officials said.
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