Jury Finds First Defendant Related to APS Cheating Scandal Not Guilty
Rose Scott / WABE News
The first defendant connected to Atlanta’s school cheating scandal has been found not guilty on a single count of influencing a witness. The verdict from the Fulton County Superior Court jury came late Friday morning.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry W. Baxter instructs the courtroom deputy sheriff to read the verdict.WABE's Rose Scott reports on the verdict.
Tamara Cotman was a school administrator who oversaw 21 schools in Atlanta. She and 33 others still face charges of racketeering.
The acquittal comes after a three-week trial as prosecutors are still preparing for the racketeering cases.
Cotman is among 35 former administrators and teachers, including former APS Superintendent Beverly Hall, who face criminal charges for allegedly changing answers on standardized tests. The scandal broke after a 2011 state investigation found widespread cheating in Atlanta schools on the 2009 Criterion Referenced Competency Test.
In Cotman’s trial on the single count of influencing a witness, educators testified for the prosecution that, during a meeting with principals, Cotman ordered them to write a “go to hell” memo to GBI investigators. Defense witnesses said the memo was merely a stress-reducing exercise, to give administrators a chance to vent, and that the memo was never intended to be sent to anyone.
Juror spokesperson Ben Emerson talks with WABE after the not guilty verdict.
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