Judge Overturns Conviction of Pair that Served 14 Years in Molestation Case

On June 24, a common pleas judge acquitted a bus driver and a Lorain County, Ohio, man in a controversial Head Start sex case after each had served more than 14 years in prison. At the time of the trial, authorities said and a jury agreed that Nancy Smith, now 52, drove her Head Start bus with children to meet Joseph Allen, now 56, who then sexually abused the children. Allen and Smith said they never met and denied that they harmed the children.

Lorain County Judge James Burgee said he carefully reviewed their cases before deciding not enough evidence was presented at trial to convict them. More on the history of the case can be found from the Chronicle Telegram.