A former Oak Ridge High School teacher and coach accused of inappropriate contact with students will not be prosecuted.
Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark, in an Aug. 13 letter to Oak Ridge Police Chief James Akagi, said he found it "concerning" that an investigation showed a number of complaints had emerged against Eddie Anderson over an extended period of time.
"In particular, I was struck by the similarity of allegations as to where and how his hands were allegedly placed upon the complainants," Clark stated in his letter. "As you know, these are the sorts of markers we look for in evaluating the truth."
But "all of the complaints" except for one fell outside the statute of limitations, Clark noted, so he couldn't prosecute the cases. The one complaint amounts to a "he said-she said" accusation with no physical evidence, the DA wrote.
Anderson "has not been fully cooperative" in the investigation, according to Clark, which has hindered the ability of authorities to corroborate or expand on the alleged victim's allegations.
It wouldn't be right to charge Anderson under such circumstances and try to go through a trial.
"Therefore, I decline to prosecute this case. You may close your file."
Oak Ridge Schools suspended Anderson back in May.
He retired June 2.
