Supporter after supporter after supporter took the stand Tuesday to testify about a former Hamilton County teacher’s character, all claiming he never could have committed sex crimes against children.
Several of them started to cry or choke up, as they recounted the important relationships they said they shared with Duane Sanders.
Sanders, 47, has been on trial since last week in front of Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman. He faces one count of aggravated rape of a child, seven counts of aggravated sexual battery and seven counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
The allegations stem from his time as a first grade teacher at Ooltewah’s Wallace A. Smith Elementary School, where he was also involved in extracurricular leadership roles, including the school’s safety patrol and an after-school tutoring group.
Character witnesses defend Hamilton County teacher accused of sexually abusing elementary students
He was recognized by Hamilton County Schools as an HCS Hero in April 2021.
From 2021 to 2023, Sanders allegedly sexually assaulted 6- and 7-year-old boys ranging from touching their genitals during class to an act of oral sex.
Principal Kelley Weiss previously testified all classroom doors and windows were shut and locked throughout the school day to limit access to students in case there was a threat, and Sanders was one of two teachers who had some sort of artwork covering the window on his classroom door.
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Lisa Ann Stephens was one of six character witnesses called Tuesday by Sanders’ defense.
She said she has known him for 26 years, since they worked at a local McDonald’s together decades ago. He also married one of her best friends from high school, she said.
Stephens described him as family.
“And today, I would leave my kids with him,” she said. “I would trust him with my kids, 100%.”
Sam Bolton, 32, testified he’s known Sanders since he was 7.
Bolton’s mother was adopted, so she knitted together her own family of coworkers, friends and those willing to help, he said. Sanders was one of those people.
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Bolton was alone with Sanders many times as a child, and he never tried anything inappropriate, he said.
“In terms of a father figure, I would choose that man to be my father every time,” he said.
But on Monday, a boy took the stand to discuss the alleged abuse Sanders subjected him to.
A judge instructed members of the media to withhold the names of the children and their parents to protect the minors’ identities, and it is also the policy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press not to identify alleged sex crime victims.
The boy testified it made him uncomfortable when Sanders would grab and play with his genitals, but he didn’t report it right away because he didn’t know teachers weren’t allowed to do that.
He was one of many boys who made similar accusations.
Child psychiatrist Bradley Freeman testified there may have been some issues with how the boys’ disclosures were obtained during forensic interviews.
Some of the interviewer’s questions, such as “Is that right?” or “Isn’t that right,” could illicit a “yes” answer from a child, Freeman said.
Younger children tend to be more susceptible to gossip and aren’t as well-versed in weighing sources of information, he said.
Some of the boys didn’t make their allegations against Sanders during their initial interview and were interviewed a second time, which Freeman labeled as unusual.
He testified some of the information extracted from the boys seemed “fantastic” and unrealistic, and some of the boys knew Sanders had been arrested prior to their interviews, he said.
Defendants who were adults when they carried out an aggravated rape of a child must be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Tennessee code.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said during a February speech no punishment is harsh enough for individuals who rape children 8 years old and younger.
“I would love almost nothing more in this office than to seek death for an aggravated child rapist,” Wamp said.
Sanders was initially facing four additional charges, but the state moved to have them dismissed. The trial was expected to resume Wednesday morning.
Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476.