Man convicted of 971 sex crimes

BROOKVILLE – A man was convicted of several hundred sex-crime counts for abusing a girl for a decade.

A jury found Clarence Thomas, 56, guilty of 971 counts. Those included more than 100 charges each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors; more than 200 counts of aggravated indecent assault; and nearly 400 counts of indecent assault.Prosecutors accused Thomas of sexually assaulting his victim, now 20, from 1994 to 2004.Charges were filed in March 2006.Thomas testified he weighed 195 to 240kg at the time and had health problems, including four heart attacks.He also said spinal injuries would have made it impossible for him to commit the crimes.”Three-fourths of the time, I was sick,” he testified.The victim had no motive to lie, said Jefferson County prosecutor Jeffrey Burkett.Thomas will be sentenced after a state board determines whether he is a sexually violent predator.Nampa-APThose included more than 100 charges each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors; more than 200 counts of aggravated indecent assault; and nearly 400 counts of indecent assault.Prosecutors accused Thomas of sexually assaulting his victim, now 20, from 1994 to 2004.Charges were filed in March 2006.Thomas testified he weighed 195 to 240kg at the time and had health problems, including four heart attacks.He also said spinal injuries would have made it impossible for him to commit the crimes.”Three-fourths of the time, I was sick,” he testified.The victim had no motive to lie, said Jefferson County prosecutor Jeffrey Burkett.Thomas will be sentenced after a state board determines whether he is a sexually violent predator.Nampa-AP