A Senoia woman testified Monday
that her son told her last year he had been molested two years before
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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