Posted on 10/05/2009 6:02:06 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
He was once a revered judge, an African-American Democrat repeatedly elected in an Alabama county that was predominantly white and Republican.
But then came the scandal - and Herman Thomas' world turned upside down.
Thomas, former Alabama Circuit Court judge, stands accused of sodomy, kidnapping, sex abuse, extortion, assault and ethics violations, AOL News reports. The trial starts on Monday.
The first charges against Thomas surfaced in 2001 when an inmate claimed that Thomas offered to help with the case in return for sex. Those charges were dismissed. But that wasn't nearly the end of it.
Inmates then began claiming that Thomas forced them to strip down to their underwear and then spanked them. Others claimed he forced them to perform sex acts.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Former Circuit Judge Herman Thomas
I don’t understand, and I’m glad.
Unless they have they Judge on video tape or “DNA on the dress” quality physical evidence I would not believe the inmates.
OH...I thought it was HELEN Thomas...
gives new meaning to the term “big government”.
Sounds like a great appointment for another ‘czar’ to me. /s
Lets wait for the formal proceedings and see what that brings out. Nothing would surprise me.
The article seems to carefully avoid mentioning the gender of the inmates accusing him. The use of gender neutral pronouns seems forced and awkward. I could be wrong but I suspect it’s meaningful.
So that no one has visions of a “Girls in Prison” film, these were male inmates the judge was screwing.
black + democrat = not guilty
Looking at his mugshot, my gut instinct says “guilty”. And it’s hard to imagine under what circumstances a judge would ever be alone with an inmate, or even with an inmate in the presence of other court or prison officials without the inmate’s lawyer present. And fifteen is a LOT of inmates to get together on this story, with nobody breaking ranks. If there’s any solid evidence that this judge was in places he wasn’t supposed to be that would have given him access to these inmates, and the fifteen can each keep their own stories straight, I expect he’s guilty and will be found guilty. And I don’t see ANY way this could have happened without the complicity of other court or prison officials, so if the judge is guilty, there are likely to be other people getting charged too.
NO NO NO!!!
Don’t say that word here...
I suspect he's certainly guilty of multiple grooming and fashion felonies....
A former judge is.....charged with sexually abusing male inmates in exchange for leniency.
"...insists he is innocent and claims he was trying to mentor the inmates."
Where have I heard that before?
Isn't it interesting to note what the US source doesn't think is worth reporting:
Noting that each of the alleged victims is black, Patterson says jail checkout records back up inmates' claims about trips to Thomas' private office, and other inmates spotted marks after paddlings.
There also is other evidence, according to court records, including one inmate's seminal fluid on the office carpet.
The inmates also were able to describe in detail Thomas' unmarked windowless office.
See the link in #11 or the summary in #16. Guilty.
Where’s his earring?
“The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a leading civil rights group, has defended Thomas and claims race is behind his prosecution.”
* * * * *
Pathetic. The degree of moral bankruptcy running rampant in our society makes our plunge into third world status more inevitable and more difficult to stop.
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