Molestation suspect cleared for school

By MICHAEL PEARSON - AJC
Posted Wednesday, March 29, 2006

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A 13-year-old boy accused of molesting neighborhood children has been cleared to return to a north Fulton middle school. But officials won't say whether he is attending, citing a federal privacy law.

A judge cleared the boy to attend school earlier this month, according to interviews and court records.

Parents who contacted The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said they were concerned school officials at Taylor Road Middle School had not alerted them or disclosed the conditions under which the boy could attend classes.

"We send our children to school thinking that's where they're the safest," said Lisa Walker, whose daughter attends Taylor Road. "It's not fair to put people at risk just so this other child can remain anonymous."

Two other parents expressed similar concerns to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but only Walker agreed to be identified.

The boy, who has not been identified because of his age, was arrested March 1 on charges involving four neighborhood children. The most serious charge, aggravated child molestation, is a felony for which prosecutors could decide to try the boy as an adult. That charge involves a Feb. 12 incident in which police allege the boy sodomized a boy he had invited to his room to play video games.

He is awaiting trial May 24 on the Juvenile Court charges. District Attorney Paul Howard has not decided whether to try him as an adult on the felony charge.

According to court records, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Karen Woodson freed the boy March 9 on a recognizance bond that required him to seek counseling and avoid contact with children under 12, except at school.

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