Sex Abuse Charges Dropped Against Day-Care Teacher
Prosecutors on Friday dropped their case against a former day-care teacher who served five years in prison before her conviction on charges of molesting 19 youngsters was overturned.
The move ended a nearly 10-year ordeal for Margaret Kelly Michaels, who was accused of engaging in sex games with children ages 3 to 5.
Michaels, 32, was convicted in 1988 of 115 counts of sexual abuse.
An appeals court overturned her conviction. And the New Jersey Supreme Court later harshly criticized the “coercive and highly suggestive” methods used by investigators in interviewing the children. The high court’s ruling said the evidence may be unreliable.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Falcone dismissed the charges at the request of prosecutors, who told the judge that some witnesses are now unavailable and that some children and parents refuse to participate in new legal proceedings.
At a news conference, Michaels told reporters that she was “greatly relieved to have this terrible nightmare over with,” but she added that her reputation had been irreparably harmed.
The sex games were alleged to have taken place at a Maplewood, N.J., day-care center during the 1984-85 school year.
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