Tonya Craft, Former Georgia Teacher, Acquitted of Molestation Charges

May 12, 2010— -- The former kindergarten teacher who was acquitted of charges that she molested three young girls, including her own daughter, said she is not upset with the allegations made against her, in fact she said she feels sorry for the children.

"I feel bad for them. I have no anger, any bitterness. I only have sympathy, for the children that I've spent my entire career fighting for," Tonya Craft told ABC News.

The Catoosa County, Ga., Superior Court jury returned its verdict Tuesday after nearly two days of deliberation in the trial of the 37-year-old. The former Chickamauga Elementary School teacher faced 22 charges of child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and aggravated child molestation.

Craft, who now plans to study law, said that this case should not only be a warning to teachers across the country but also an example to stand up and do the right thing.

"I was not going to let a system railroad me and hurt these children. So absolutely this could happen, as I said, to anybody anywhere at any time," Craft said.

Since her arrest in May 2008, Craft has been fired from her job, lost custody of her daughter, lost her home and moved with her husband to Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., about 30 miles north of where she was on trial in Ringgold, Ga.

Craft said following the acquittal she is going to reunite with her family and fight for custody of her daughter "immediately."

"When somebody says about winning, I said 'there is not a winner.' There can be restoration and there can be awareness for others to not go through this, but there's two birthdays for my daughter that I will never get back," Craft said.

Craft's mother said the family spent more than a half a million dollars fighting the charges.

"We mortgaged our home, we threw out all of our savings and 401k's, we sold stock," Betty Faires said.

The verdict was met with cheers from supporters outside the courtroom. The families of the children who testified against Craft hid from cameras after the teacher was set free.