Jurors today are expected to begin deliberations in the trial of D.R. McElhenney, who is accused of sexually fondling his granddaughter with a back massager, after a July 19, 2009 luncheon at his home.
Margaret McElhenney, wife of the defendant, was the first witness to take the stand Wednesday, as she was cross-examined by Assistant District Attorney Katie Moulds.
Assistant District Attorney Katie Moulds Wednesday questioned the defendant’s wife, Margaret McElhenney, about a three-pronged back massager allegedly used on the victim.Margaret McElhenney stated the item was kept in a desk drawer in her husband’s office, an area where she said he also kept some of his candy for the grandchildren.
Moulds presented a Dollar General bag of candy allegedly given to the victim as a bribe and questioned Margaret McElhenney about where her husband normally kept his candy.
Margaret McElhenney responded the candy normally was kept in her husband’s office.
Maragert McElhenney also testified she could not see into her husband’s shop on Sunday, July 19, 2009, the day the alleged fondling took place.
Responding to questioning by defense attorney Rod Ray, Maragert McElhenney said she had never seen the prosecution’s specific sack of candy, which contained eight packages of individually wrapped candy and $5 in cash. She also admitted she had asked her daughter, Wendy Boterf, to back off the allegations her child had made against D.R. McElhenney.
The accuser’s father, Adam Boterf, painted a picture of an estranged family, stating his relationship with D.R. McElhenney had “its ups and downs.” Adam Boterf attributed the bad blood to his relationship with pastor Richard Vaden, who was convicted of two counts of molesting his own daughters in 2006. Adam Boterf stated he had attended Vaden’s church in both Aberdeen and West Point and worked for him for more than a decade.
Adam Boterf said he did not see what happened in the McElhenney shop on the day in question and nothing seemed abnormal with his daughter, during the Sunday lunch at the McElhenney home in Columbus.
The accuser told her mother about the alleged events of July 19. Adam Boterf said he and his wife decided not to approach the subject with their daughter, until the following morning, as the girl was “already asleep” when his wife approached him about the issue. Boterf also said he did not talk to his other children about the matter, because he “didn’t want to create any hard feelings toward their grandparents.”
D.R. McElhenney was called by Ray as the final witness for the defense Thursday. During an emotional testimony, the former cattle farmer displayed both anger and sadness, alternately crying and raising his voice with Moulds. McElhenney also acknowledged the strained relationship with Adam Boterf.
‘I didn’t approve of the marriage,” McElhenney said. “I knew the background. They were going to be a part of (Vaden’s) church. I was just looking out for my daughter. I loved my daughter and I tried to accept the situation and move on.”
During Ray’s questioning about the events on July 19, 2009, McElhenney disclosed he had “gone to Dollar General to get some rolls,” before the family’s traditional family luncheon. He said he went to a Dollar General on Alabama Street and bought some rolls, a cake, the bag of candy in question and some batteries for the massager he admitted he had taken with him to the store.
“The massager was used by my mother-in-law and I used it on the kids,” he said. “I took it with me to buy some batteries for it. When I got home, I couldn’t get everything out of the truck, so I left the bag of candy in the truck. The bag of candy stayed in my truck. I brought in the rolls and the cake.”
After lunch, McElhenney said he went out to pick figs for his daughter, Wendy. He said three of the Boterf children, including the accuser, went with him. He said he went into the shop to get a bucket for dog scraps and the victim followed him. He said the victim “looked in the bag of candy and the massager was in it.”
“I put it in the bag because I knew she would want it,” he said. “I started massaging her neck. She said, ‘Papa, mama said you can’t massage me or tickle me anymore.’ I told her I had forgotten and that was it. It happened that quick. She asked if she could have the candy, and I told her she could have all of it.”
McElhenney appeared visibly angry, during Mould’s cross examination. When questioned about the massager and the batteries, he said he had placed the batteries in the massager when he left Dollar General. He said the five dollar bill was “left over change” from his purchases and he could not remember where he placed the coin change. He later said he had taken the massager “inside the house and changed the batteries.”
Moulds asked if the massager was kept in a certain place, as his wife had stated. McElhenney said it did not have a definite home and it was “kept all over the house.”
McElhenney also said he didn’t get the bag of candy out of his truck, because he “brought in some other items beside the two grocery bags.” He could not recall what the items where.
During Ray’s questioning, McElhenney maintained his innocence.
“I would never knowingly lie to anyone,” he said, as tears streamed down his face. “I did not do this.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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