Image Credit: Hamilton County Jail & Google Earth
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Former Hamilton County Schools teacher Duane Sanders appeared in court on Tuesday, July 16, facing accusations of 19 sex crimes against nine children, including continuous sexual abuse of a child and aggravated sexual battery.
The judge allowed videotaped forensic interviews from two of the victims to be presented. In those interviews, the victims gave detailed specifics of the incidents that took place in Sanders’ classroom.
Brenda Reed-Brown, the forensic interviewer from the Children’s Advocacy Center who interviewed the children, also testified in court.
In the first video, a student described how Sanders would have them sit on his lap as he touched them inappropriately.
According to Reed-Brown, the victim noted that the touching happened under his clothes and on his skin. It began while he was in the first grade and happened on numerous occasions.
The victim’s mother was emotional as she testified next.
She recounted receiving a phone call from the Sheriff’s Office, asking her to come to the Children’s Advocacy Center because another child had named her son as a victim of Sanders’ abuse. She described what her son told her about the “good boys club.”
“It’s this thing where you sit on Mr. Sander’s lap and like people get to do it for different things for like reading or whatever, and he pulls down my pants and like pulls on it and mess with it and stuff,” she said.
She mentioned that her child has gone from an outgoing boy to having anger issues and distrust of men. He is currently in therapy and is being home-schooled.
The mother of a second victim also testified. Her child attended tutoring with Mr. Sanders twice a week. She recalled noticing police cars and the principal being interviewed one day when picking up her son from school. The following day, her son told her Sanders had been arrested for touching a child, prompting her to ask him questions.
“He did tell me Mr. Sanders would tell him to sit on his lap, and he would touch his privates under the desk,” the mother said.
She noted that her son was scared to disclose what happened. In the video interview shown in court, the child mentioned it happened only once and felt fortunate he didn’t have Sanders as his regular teacher.
Court proceedings are set to continue on Wednesday morning, with more witnesses expected to testify.
3 Responses
Hang him high.
Pedophiles live next door, go to your church and are in your families. Discuss their actions with your children before it’s to late. This simple discussion with a code word should it happen will help your child to be forthcoming. You might be surprised that it is happening right now–especially if they have mood swings or they stop going to Johnny’s house or Church all the sudden. Don’t be an accomplice by the way of ignorance.
I believe the dead penalty for Tn!