There are new developments in the case against Phillip Wayne Gramling – director of the STAR program in Cherokee County. Gramling was arrested on May 22nd by Rainbow City Police on a charge of Sexual Abuse 2nd Degree.
Rainbow City Police Chief Greg Carroll said they were contacted by the James M. Barrie Center for Children in Gadsden regarding a case and Carroll stated that he felt there was enough on that interview to move forward with the investigation.
That weekend two more potential victims reportedly contacted police regarding past interactions with Gramling – and both will be coming from Tennessee, where they currently reside – back to Etowah County for interviews. ABC 33/40 reported Wednesday (May 28th), that Gramling was also a foster parent and investigators have discovered several more potential victims – with some being his foster children and some being in the STAR program.
The STAR Program (which stands for Saving Teens At Risk) is designed to work with students between the ages of 12 and 17 who have been charged with delinquent offenses in the Cherokee County juvenile court system – helping them transition back into school or earn their GED.
Rainbow City Police Chief Greg Carroll:
Chief Carroll went on to say that all of the potential victims are juvenile males and investigators are asking anyone with information on this case to contact the Rainbow City Police Department at (256) 442-2513.
(ABC 33/40/www.abc3340.com)