by Tonya Craft
16.Sarah admitted to showering naked with Ashley during her February 2009 deposition in the Tennessee custody case, as well as during her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
17.The details of the termination hearing were reconstructed from a transcript of the proceedings.
18.My private investigator, Eric Echols, confirmed this in a conversation with the director of Four Points, Melissa Gifford, which was recorded and transcribed; Joal also described this call from Chris Arnt to Four Points concerning my visitation rights during his deposition in the Tennessee custody case, February 2009.
19.Kim Walker and Dee Potter testified to these incidents during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft and talked about this incident under oath during a videotaped interview with P.I. Eric Echols; Sandra Lamb also admitted to this behavior in her testimony at the trial and in an interview under oath with Detective Tim Deal.
20.Kim Walker testified to this during her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft and under oath in a videotaped interview with P.I. Eric Echols.
21.Although their recollections of some of the details differed from one another, Sherri Wilson, Sandra Lamb, and Kim Walker all described this same sidewalk chalk incident during their testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
22.Kim Walker testified to all of the above (two paragraphs) at trial and also during her interview with P.I. Eric Echols.
23.David denied telling the detectives that he had any suspicions about me in any way during his testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
24.Joal testified during the bond modification hearing on December 11, 2008, and again in his deposition in February 2009 that he felt forced by his attorney in Tennessee to make the agreement to let me see the children, after which he testified that he called the ADA in Georgia to try to keep that meeting from happening.
25.Per filings and rulings in Joal Edward Henke, plaintiff v. Tonya Faires Henke (Craft), defendant, in the Circuit Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee, at Chattanooga.
26.Joal testified to this in his February 2009 deposition.
27.I would later discover that Laurie Evans testified in her deposition that Joal had, in fact, accused my mother of molesting my daughter. Laurie Evans also wrote about this in her treatment notes, which we would acquire through discovery.
28.This entire section is reconstructed from transcripts of the December 11, 2008, bond modification hearing.
29.Joal later testified during his February 2009 deposition that he had no knowledge of the phone message from Ashley until he heard about it in the courtroom.
30.Per the December 30, 2008, order in Joal Edward Henke, plaintiff v. Tonya Faires Henke (Craft), defendant, in the Circuit Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee, at Chattanooga.
31.Sandra confirmed that she was close personal friends with Detective Stephen Keith during her trial testimony and also spoke of their daughters’ friendship in her deposition during my divorce case; Detective Tim Deal also testified to the personal relationship between Detective Keith and Sandra Lamb during his testimony at my trial.
32.Joal testified to this in his February 2009 deposition in the Tennessee case.
33.The therapist would admit this to me at a later date, in a taped conversation after my trial had ended. She would also discuss basing her decisions about my daughter’s treatment on the information she was getting from Joal during her deposition in Tennessee (after my trial ended, but before the custody dispute was resolved) and in her treatment notes.
34.This remark and the description of the encounter between Sandra Lamb and Eric Echols is reconstructed from the video footage that Eric took at the scene.
35.Per State of Georgia v. Eric Echols.
36.Jerry McDonald confirmed that he had been interviewed by Eric Echols during his testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
37.This fact is referenced in our July 27, 2009, Motion for Continuance, Special Setting, and Pretrial Scheduling Order in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
38.All of the interviews with the girls were played in open court during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft and can be found in the trial transcript and videotapes of the proceedings.
39.The fact that Brianna’s mother was waiting for her outside of this interview was testified to by Brianna, Sandra Lamb, and Stacy Long during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
40.Stacy Long testified that the second interview happened on the same day during her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
41.This information was gathered by our private investigator initially, and Detective Tim Deal would confirm his employment and training history during his testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
42.During her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft, Kelly McDonald confirmed on the witness stand that Chloe and Brianna are not cousins.
43.Suzie Thorne confirmed her background and education during her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
44.Holly Kittle confirmed her background and employment information during her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
45.This fact was summarized in the same New York Times article, “Studies Reveal Suggestibility of Very Young as Witnesses,” by Daniel Goleman, published June 11, 1993.
46.My opinion that the interviews in my case were tainted in this way was reinforced during the expert testimony of Dr. Nancy Aldridge, Dr. William Bernet, and Dr. Ann Hazzard during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
47.Joal Henke’s phone records were entered into evidence in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft, and portions of the phone records were reviewed in open court during the trial. Those phone records were also entered into evidence in the custody case, Joal Edward Henke, plaintiff v. Tonya Faires Henke (Craft), defendant, in the Circuit Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee, at Chattanooga.
48.Laurie Evans’s divorce records were obtained from the public record in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
49.A motion was filed in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft for Brian House to recuse himself due to a conflict of interest. House denied that motion.
50.All of the details from this November 23, 2009, hearing are reconstructed from transcripts of the court proceedings.
51.Frances Woodard recounted this story during her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
52.The wrappers and these dollar bills were entered into evidence during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft, and Ashley confirmed during her testimony that she had signed those packages herself.
53.The details of these examinations are drawn directly from the medical examination reports of all three girls, which were entered into evidence during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft. All three reports were vetted extensively in the courtroom during the testimony of SANE Nurse Sharon Anderson, and again during the testimony of Dr. Nancy Fajman.
54.The details revealed here come directly from Laurie Evans’s notes, which were entered into evidence in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
55.This Facebook post was drawn directly from the post itself, a screenshot of which was entered into evidence during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft and read into the record during Holly Kittle’s testimony in that trial.
56.Tim Deal’s motion-hearing testimony is reconstructed directly from the videotape of those proceedings in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
57.Opening statements from both sides are reconstructed from the videotaped proceedings of State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
58.Actual trial testimony and observations of goings-on in the courtroom are reconstructed from the videotaped proceedings of State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft, with the addition of transcripts wherever they were available.
59.In their February 2009 depositions, Joal and Sarah Henke both said that Ashley had been showering with Sarah since just after they were married. (They were married in December of 2006.)
60.Greg and Sandra Lamb’s divorce record is public record in Catoosa Country, Georgia, and Sandra read portions of that divorce filing concerning the reasons f
or the divorce into the record during her testimony in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
61.This moment in the trial concerning the newly produced document was reconstructed from a jury-out hearing that was held with the court reporter present.
62.This information was reconstructed from Sarah Henke’s deposition in February 2009.
63.Dee Potter, Kim Walker, Shanica Lewis, and David Craft all testified to Brianna’s inappropriate dancing at the wedding reception during State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
64.Dr. Ann Hazzard testified to this at the November 23, 2009, motions hearing in State of Georgia v. Tonya Craft.
65.Details here are drawn from the lawsuit itself, which was filed on May 24, 2010, at the Federal Court in Rome, Georgia.
About the Authors
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 multiple 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.