COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Felony charges have been tossed against a Marietta private investigator involved in a high-profile child molestation case.
Eric Echols was the private investigator for Tonya Craft, a Chickamauga kindergarten teacher accused of molesting several children.
Craft was acquitted of all charges in May, but Echols faced three counts of intimidating witnesses. Charges were filed after he captured an explosive confrontation with one of the children's parents on his cellphone.
Echols could have faced prison time if convicted of witness intimidation. He said if his charges had gone through, it would have had a chilling effect on private investigations nationwide.
"It's not over, but I have some relief," Echols told Channel 2's Tony Thomas.
Echols said he received the good news of his acquittal earlier this week. He still has a $15,000 legal bill to take care of, but he said the incident won't stop him from continuing his career.
"If being a private investigator means you won't take certain cases because of fear someone might falsely arrest you, then I wouldn't be a private investigator," Echols said.
WSBTV
