COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A well-known local pastor has been cleared of allegations that he molested a 10-year-old girl at a women's shelter he helped operate.
The pastor told Channel 2 Action News he is trying to rebuild his life, saying he was falsely accused.
Danny Wells is now back at work at his Cobb County church after he said a false accusation nearly drove him to suicide.
Police arrested Wells in 2016 after a young girl accused him of sexually assaulting her.
Wells spent the next two years under house arrest, something he said nearly drove him over the edge.
“They put me in a prison inside my head I ain’t ever been in before,” Wells said. “I was contemplating, just go ahead and end this pain and just go ahead and commit suicide. My life was finished.”
Wells maintained his innocence from the beginning, and finally in September, a Cobb County judge dismissed the case, citing insufficient evidence.
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"It’s not right for people to hurt people when they’re innocent. It will ruin their lives," Wells said.
In our exclusive interview, he told Channel 2's Justin Wilfon he's now trying to rebuild his life by getting back to doing what he's always done, using his church to help the homeless.
"It's my life. It's what God chose me to do -- to help people," Wells said.
His ministry, called 7 Bridges to Recovery, sends volunteers onto the streets three days a week to pray with and feed the homeless.
"They know 7 Bridges to Recovery. We're out there to help them, not to hurt them," Wells said.
Channel 2 Action News followed along as church volunteers delivered meals to the homeless.
Wells believes he can rebuild his life by building up others.
"Whew, it's been a journey," Wells said.
During his two years away, Wells continued to help run the ministry from home.