OCILLA, Ga. — There were mixed reactions to the verdict of Ryan Duke on Friday, and some people in the city of Ocilla are feeling a sense of relief that the case is coming to a close.
The death of Tara Grinstead drew national attention from the start. In Ocilla, it's been a long waiting game.
"It's been a wild, wild, long, long ride," Andy Paulk said.
Paulk has lived in Ocilla all his life. He knew a lot about the disappearance of Tara Grinstead and the case.
"From the day she disappeared, to the verdict today, it's been chaos," Paulk said.
Paulk said the case left a dark cloud over the city and turned the city upside down because people had different opinions, people turned on one another, and took sides about who was guilty. He believes this is the worst thing that's happened in Ocilla.
"The whole town paid the price for what they did," Paulk said.
Anthony Paulk heard about the case a few years ago when he moved here. He believes Ryan Duke should do some time in jail because he had something to do with Grinstead's death but said, "If he was guilty, they couldn't prove it."
Ola Reid was born and raised in Ocilla and left, but returned recently. She was shocked when the jury found Ryan Duke not guilty. Reid says the whole case is upsetting.
"Yeah, it was sad because everyone loved their teacher," Reid said.
Paulk said he's not sure what to think.
"It's been confusing since the beginning. It's going to be confusing and we'll probably never know what happened. We'll probably never know. I mean, not completely -- it'll be a story here, story there. Will Bo get charged? Doubt it. They can't even figure out what happened the first time."
Paulk says the healing can start now that the case seems to be at an end. He says the city of Ocilla is moving forward and people are ready to put the case behind them.