Charge is withdrawn in cheering dispute

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 24, 2005

A charge of obtaining money by false pretences against the owner of a local cheerleading organization was withdrawn Tuesday in General District Court.

Judge James Moore withdrew the charge against Teda Barrows, who had been accused of taking nearly $3,000 from three parents of former students at her cheering school, Suffolk Cheer Attitude.

&uot;The only thing I can say is that I haven’t done anything wrong,&uot; Barrows said. &uot;I’ll be glad when this entire nightmare is over. I feel sorry for the kids.&uot;

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The case is still under investigation, said assistant commonwealth attorney Vaughn Breedlove.

&uot;This doesn’t mean that the charges have been dropped, and it doesn’t mean that a judge has thrown them out,&uot; Breedlove said. &uot;It simply means they’ve been withdrawn. They could be reinstated.&uot;

On July 27, Moore ordered an audit to settle a matter in which the three women contended they’d lost money given for two national competition trips that

didn’t occur.

Several women testified earlier that they had paid for trips thinking the donation was tax deductible but later found out it wasn’t. Moore ordered that prosecutor William Johnson and defense attorney Ira Steingold decide on an accountant, and Steingold said that it should take about 60 days.

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com