Father on trial denies molesting son, 3

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Father on trial denies molesting son, 3

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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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