By Malynda Fulton
May 09, 2008 03:18 pm
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VALDOSTA — After nearly three hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts in the case against Jeremy Albert Bennett, a Sallas Mahone Elementary School teacher charged with two counts of sexual battery and one count of child molestation.
“These cases are tough on all involved,” Defense Attorney Charles Wetherington said, “And it is just regrettable that all three families involved in this case had to go through this.”
When asked what he thought was the deciding factor in the outcome of the case, Wetherington stated, “The character witness testimony was overwhelming. But even taking away the character evidence, just when you listen to the state’s theory of the case in that this occurred within his classroom in front of 17 other students it just did not make sense, especially in light of the fact that the classmates that were interviewed did not see anything happen.”
Bennett released a statement through his attorney following the verdict and said, “Please let the young ladies know that I forgive them and I wish them well.”
Wetherington added that Bennett was “understandably emotional” following the conclusion of the nine-month ordeal.
“The outpouring of support was like no other case I’ve ever been involved in,” Wetherington said. “During testimony yesterday (Wednesday) every available seat on the defense side of the courtroom was taken, and today (Thursday) when the verdict was returned, every seat was taken by people who love him and know the real Jeremy Bennett.
“Personally, I would like to thank all of those who have contact me over the past nine months and shared their familiarity with Jeremy and shed light on what a great guy he is. I’ve received
unsolicited letters and phone calls periodically for the last nine months. I know of churches all around Valdosta of different denominations that have been praying for Jeremy. One of my character witnesses yesterday described him as a rock solid individual and I think that is a very good summation. I especially thank the teachers of Sallas Mahone in their steadfast and undying support of their colleague. I called close to 20 teachers at that school and I could have easily called another 20.”
The verdict was made in spite of Assistant District Attorney Laura Wood’s argument that the two girls accusing Bennett had no reason to lie and that the defense attempted to distract jurors by focusing on the characters of the parents.
As Wetherington addressed the jury in his closing argument, he asked members to consider Bennett’s testimony before reaching a verdict.
“Mr. Bennett looked you in the eyes, told you his life story and told you with a straight face that he didn’t do it,” Wetherington said.
He added that Bennett was not a sexual batterer or a sexual predator before exploring the testimonies of character witnesses who described Bennett as a man of excellent character and a rock solid, good Christian man. Wetherington mentioned that Bennett must have had admirable qualities, especially since two of his ex-girlfriends came to testify on his behalf.
“He worked as a bag boy at Publix and then at a Christian bookstore to put himself through college,” Wetherington said. “Even during Attorney Wood’s interrogation, he answered her with ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no ma’am.’ That’s the character of Mr. Bennett.”
Wetherington then asked the jury to focus on the credibility of the prosecution witnesses. He argued that Beth Deloach’s daughter simply lied about Bennett as a way of getting out of trouble. Since the account of events given by Deanna Folsom’s daughter had changed between the time she was interviewed by the school counselor and the time she was interviewed by the Department of Family and Children Services, Wetherington suggested that she was coached to provide more information.
In addition, Wetherington pointed out various conflicts of interest, which include Folsom’s position as a board member for the Children’s Advocacy Center, where both girls had forensic interviews, and Folsom’s friendship with Valdosta City Schools Superintendent Bill Cason, despite the fact that Sam Allen was the superintendent at the time the allegations were made.
Wetherington closed by asking the jury to consider Bennett’s character again.
“In nine months, these accusations have ruined the good name Mr. Bennett spent more than 12 years building,” Wetherington said. “He can never get it back because whether his name is cleared or not, there will always be whispers.”
The state attempted to rebut the defense’s portrayal of Bennett as a man of upstanding character. During her closing statement, Wood argued against Wetherington’s statements by questioning who really had a motive to lie.
“The only person with something to lose in this case is Mr. Bennett,” Wood said.
She then implored the jury to overlook Bennett’s good character and support from friends who admire his qualities.
“We’re not looking at the last 10 years. We’re looking at what he did to these two young girls between Aug. 8 and Aug. 23, 2007.”
Afterward, Wood revisited the testimony of defense witness Misty Watkins, the girls’ first grade teacher and a friend of Bennett.
“The mothers of both alleged victims testified that their children said they ‘loved Mrs. Watkins and that Mr. Bennett was so much different than Mrs. Watkins,’” Wood said. “Then Mrs. Watkins takes the stand and talks about what horrible children they were in her class.”
Wood further stated that Watkins’ testimony should not be considered reliable since she admitted that she fabricated information on the students’ reports cards about how “sweet” they were.
“I’m certain it’s not the policy of Sallas Mahone for teachers to falsify information,” Wood said. “The only thing that Mrs. Watkins has proven is that she is a liar and that she had an issue with Mrs. Folsom from the start, especially since Mrs. Folsom had reported her to the principal for not following protocol when her daughter was involved in a situation at school.”
Wood added that besides Watkins, none of the other character witnesses had anything negative to say about Deloach and Folsom or their credibility.
In addition, Wood asked, “Why would these kids make this up?”
She explored the night Deloach’s daughter came forward with the allegations. Before taking any actions, Deloach asked her daughter, “Are you sure? This could get Mr. Bennett in a lot of trouble. This could even get him fired.”
Deloach’s daughter replied, “I don’t want Mr. Bennett to get in trouble or get fired. I just want you to go to school with me tomorrow and ask him to please stop.”
“This does not seem like the statement of a child who just wanted to make up a story to get moved to another class or get Mr. Bennett fired,” Wood exclaimed. “This sounds like the statement of a child who has been violated and wants her teacher to stop touching her.”
Wood ended by informing the jury of the defense’s attempt to “distract” them by focusing on the children’s parents not following protocol or having conflicts of interest. She requested that the jury not be distracted by the attacks on the parents or the character witnesses when reaching a verdict.
Ultimately, the jury felt that the evidence presented was not enough to convict Bennett. According to Wetherington, Bennett has no immediate plans at this point as to whether he will remain in Valdosta.
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