STOYANOVICH FREED AFTER PAINFUL DELIBERATION

Oct. 17, Buffalo, NY—After thirteen hours of what one juror described as “painful” deliberation, children’s author Joseph Stoyanovich was found not guilty this morning of first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree unlawful imprisonment.

“This isn’t justice,” said prosecutor Mason Dougherty. “A child’s desire to end a painful experience is not a sign of innocence. It’s a sign she’s hurting.” Dougherty was referring to the alleged victim’s breakdown in court Tuesday when she claimed she had invented the incident.

Stoyanovich was alleged to have violently molested the thirteen-year-old girl in a field north of the city. The girl’s mother—whose plea for anonymity this paper has chosen to respect—had no comment.

Following the decision, Judge Clement Brown reminded Stoyanovich that the jury’s judgment should not be construed as sanctioning his actions. Stoyanovich, author of over a dozen books for children, sat silently, holding his head in his hands.

Stoyanovich pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming that the girl had misunderstood his actions. The girl’s mother and Stoyanovich had been dating for several weeks before the incident.

From the beginning, Joseph Stoyanovich, 35, admitted to driving the girl to a motel seven miles north of the city. He also confessed to pursuing the girl in his car and then on foot. Guilt or innocence rested on motivation. Stoyanovich claimed he stumbled and accidently fell on top of the girl. The prosecution tried to depict these events as a calculated assault.

On the steps of the courthouse, ignoring the advice of his lawyer, an exhausted Joseph Stoyanovich spoke to reporters. “My release will in no way diminish my regret over this terrible misunderstanding. I believe the judgment today was just. But that cannot take away the pain brought to an innocent—to a vulnerable girl.” If found guilty, Stoyanovich could have faced up to eight years in prison.

Joseph Stoyanovich’s books have been a staple of pre- and elementary-school libraries for over a decade. Initial reports of the incident rocked a city which had revered the popular national figure. Reactions to news of the assault ranged from disbelief to disgust. Such sentiments have divided school administrators, parents and teachers. There have been heated debates over whether Stoyanovich’s books should be pulled from shelves.

Defense lawyer Marcia Solingen told reporters, “Not guilty doesn’t mean not punished. The man’s reputation and career are destroyed.”

One juror admitted that knowing Stoyanovich had already suffered made it easier to bring a verdict. Deliberations were prolonged because the question was one of intent. “It’s like trying to figure what’s in a guy’s head. I mean, how do you figure when you look at yourself and say, could I get in a fix like that?”

School board member Phyllis Pagorski said that she would still vote for removing all Stoyanovich titles from library shelves. “There’s plenty of good books by good people to bother with this kind of thing. Kindergarten rooms aren’t a laboratory for civil rights.”

When asked about his immediate plans, Stoyanovich would only say, “I’m going to do a lot of thinking. A lot of thinking.”