AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A victim of a convicted Augusta child psychologist is speaking out after the Georgia Parole Board reversed its tentative decision to grant parole to Dr. Kenneth McPherson, who was accused of sexually abusing young patients.

Zachary Potts, who first contacted 12 On Your Side in 2021, said the parole denial proves that victims have power in the justice system.

McPherson had been tentatively granted parole back in August before the board changed course and denied his release.

“They need to really, they need to go ahead and speak up if something is not right about their case,” Potts said. “Or if they don’t feel like they got enough justice done to it.”

Years-long fight for justice

Potts and his grandmother first reached out to 12 On Your Side Investigates because McPherson had been out on bond for more than a decade without a court date.

His grandmother expressed frustration at the time, saying McPherson was “still out there walking the streets. Not even registered as a pedophile.”

After our investigation began, McPherson suddenly found himself facing a judge. Though Potts’ grandmother died before seeing the case resolved, he believes she would have been proud of his continued advocacy.

Letter to parole board makes impact

Potts said he was unaware of McPherson’s tentative parole until contacted by 12 On Your Side. He then wrote a letter to the parole board opposing the release.

“I mean, it’s in files, but they don’t actually know what, what really happened down here,” Potts said.

While the exact reason for the board’s reversal remains unknown, Potts believes his letter and those from other alleged victims influenced the decision.

More from 12 On Your Side Investigates:

Potential housing violation discovered

An investigation into McPherson’s proposed release address revealed it was within 1,000 feet of a neighborhood swimming pool and park, which appears to violate Georgia sex offender laws.

12 On Your Sides Investigates uncovered that during the course of our investigation, and victims asked that we share this information with the parole board in a letter.

We did send a letter with what we found and included links to our other reports as well, though it’s unclear if it factored into the denial decision.

McPherson has one year remaining on his sentence, meaning the parole denial will not keep him incarcerated significantly longer. However, victims connected to the case said the principle matters to them — they don’t want him released even a minute early.

Potts encouraged other victims to speak out if they feel the system has ignored them, as he felt ignored during the years he waited for justice.

“My Aunt Kelly was talking about, you need to call Meredith Anderson,” Potts said. “It was years ago. We should have, we should have called years ago, really, when this was going on, and maybe something could have been done sooner.”

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AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Augusta has a new non-profit to help small businesses get off the ground. They cut the ribbon Friday morning for Accelerate Augusta.

Accelerate Augusta is a new program aimed at improving economic growth and innovation.
It’s a major resource for small business owners in the area.

“I’m proud. I’m ecstatic. We have a great crowd. We work with entrepreneurs. This means so much for the city of Augusta. And I’m just so proud to be here,” said Shaun Andrews, the recently announced Executive Director of Accelerate Augusta.

The idea for the organization came 4 years ago, when so many small businesses struggled to stay open during the pandemic. Dr. Jermaine Whirl, former president of Augusta Tech, and Margaret Woodard, the Executive Director of the Augusta Downtown Development Authority got together with other partners to discuss ways to help local entrepreneurs.

“During COVID, a lot of people started what I call cottage industries in their homes. We were quarantined and they started, you know, hobbies of making things, and a lot of small businesses came out of that. And this is just a center that gives them the resources to succeed,” Woodard explained.

Accelerate Augusta is a start up center for small businesses, providing a range of resources like mentorship, financial planning and access to funding.

“It is just to ensure that small businesses thrive, grow, existing small businesses expand. It’s just to be a training center where they get all the resources they need to thrive,” Woodard said.

The nonprofit’s executive director said the community support for Accelerate Augusta is impressive and he’s excited for the new journey.

“I came in from Charlotte. I’ve been here for about six weeks and I am floored with the amount of support that I’ve gotten from the community. And it really means a lot,” said Andrews.

The building, located at 600 Broad Street, is owned by the city of Augusta and they are providing it to Accelerate Augusta rent free for the next 20 years.

Accelerate Augusta is now open and ready to serve the CSRA’s entrepreneurs. You can find more information on how to participate at Accelerate Augusta’s Facebook page.

GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A stuck 18-wheeler was blown apart and dragged by a train that hit it on the tracks in Grovetown on Friday afternoon – but amazingly no one was injured.

The semi, a McLain food-service delivery truck, was trying to cross the railroad tracks when it got stuck on a hump.

Then the train came along just after 12:35 p.m.

Although the train wasn’t moving at a high speed, the front of the truck was torn apart.

“You could hear the train, see the train coming. I didn’t really think it was going to hit the truck, but that thing, you know, boom, blew up right there,” said one witness who was outside a nearby Walgreens.

The driver apparently got out of the truck after it became stuck, since police said no one was hurt, and the railroad described the truck as unoccupied.

But it could be a while before traffic is back to normal.

Police said drivers should avoid Katherine Street at Old Wrightsboro Road as much as possible.

“No injuries have been reported, however the cleanup is going to take a while,” Police Chief Jamey Kitchens said.

The train didn’t derail, and crews at the scene indicated it would be moved sometime after 3 p.m.

Kitchens said there are no hazardous materials issues and tow trucks were en route.

Traffic was being diverted.

WATCH: PASSENGER GETS VIDEO OF TRAIN SLAMMING INTO TRUCK