ATLANTA — A judge recused herself from a case involving preschool teachers accused of abusing toddlers at Parker Chase Preschool in Roswell.
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The case has been contentious, with families of the alleged victims expressing outrage over a deal they said was offered by the Fulton County District Attorney’s office to two defendants, allowing pretrial diversion instead of prosecution.
Attorney Ashley Mitchell, representing five of the victims’ families, accused the DA’s office of misrepresentations and violating the Georgia victims bill of rights, known as Marcy’s Law.
The families said they were shocked to learn the DA had offered pretrial diversion to two teachers facing felony cruelty to children charges.
Parents of a 2-year-old seen on video being roughly handled inside the preschool expressed their anger, saying they felt lied to by the DA’s office.
In a court filing, the Fulton County DA’s office responded to accusations by stating families are pressuring the court to obtain a different outcome.
“Throughout this case, there has been a consistent pattern of misrepresenting facts, distorting the record, and rejection of the law,” the DA’s office filing stated.
Parents Lynsey and Ryan Atkinson voiced concerns that pretrial diversion, typically for low-level, nonviolent offenses, could allow the teachers to avoid serious felony charges and potentially work in daycare again.
The DA’s office has stated that they cannot comment on the pending case, but generally, prosecutors may agree to pretrial diversion if they believe they cannot prove charges in front of a jury.
Specific conditions can be set, one of them being they can no longer work in specific industries.
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