After a trial lasting a little over a week, former first grade teacher Duane Sanders was found guilty of 15 charges relating to sexual abuse against students.
Sanders, 47, taught first grade at Wallace A. Smith Elementary School, interacted with students in extracurricular leadership roles, and had previously worked or volunteered at four other Hamilton County Schools (HCS). In April 2021, he was recognized as an HCS Hero by Hamilton County Schools.
In 2023, accusations of molestation began pouring in as seven boys of different ages and classes said they were abused. Sanders would have them sit on his lap and molest the children’s genitals, either pulling down their pants or under their clothes.
The trial began on May 27, 2025, and a jury returned with the guilty verdict on Thursday, June 5 after deliberating for roughly 10 hours. The lengthy deliberation was reportedly due to the jury’s desire to review the case victim by victim and was not unexpected according to District Attorney Coty Wamp.
During the trial, testimony was heard from what Wamp is calling the “Heroic Seven”, boys who took the stand to relay the trauma they experienced for the jury.
“Seven young boys had the courage to look their abuser in the eye and tell a jury of 12 strangers what that monster did to them. Seven young boys marched into a courtroom full of people and became the heroes of their own story. They were articulate, kind, respectful, honest, and strong. None of them wavered. None of them hesitated. Absolutely iconic,” she said.
Wamp also commended the brave parents who made the decision to allow their children to participate in the prosecution process. “The parents of each of the boys had to decide whether they would allow their child to participate in the prosecution. It was left up to them. A decision that no parent ever contemplates having to make. And now there are few people that I admire more than the mothers and fathers of the heroic seven. They stuck with us for over two years. They stayed the course. They relentlessly supported their children. To their parents, thank you.”
