SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — After years of sending criminals to prison, suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeff Thomas spent the night behind bars.
The jury returned a guilty verdict -- on six charges -- after Thomas was convicted of assaulting a Windber woman in September of 2021.
"This case was never about Jeff Thomas. This case was about a woman who had the strength to walk into a police station, hoping that somebody would believe her. This jury believed her," said Chief Deputy Attorney General Patrick Schulte.
Thomas's seven-day trial began last Wednesday in the Somerset County Courthouse with the victim taking the stand that afternoon.
She told the jury about how Thomas "relentlessly pursued her" before breaking into her home and assaulting her.
We took somebody off the street who hurt somebody, and we're thankful for that," Schulte told 6 News.Somerset County's top prosecutor will now be spending the next 60 days in prison as he awaits sentencing scheduled for May 16th at 9:00 AM.
"We are thrilled with the verdict. That's a proper designation for him based on what he did, and we look forward to sentencing," Schulte said.
The jury came back to the courtroom to review the photos of the victim's injuries -- showing her black eyes and neck bruising -- before continuing their deliberations.
The jury -- made up of nine men and three women -- deliberated from 2:45 to 5:20 Thursday evening before handing down their verdict.
Thomas was found guilty of:
Thomas was found not guilty of:
"I think that they got the message on the first two counts. Those were very serious charges, and he was acquitted of those," said Thomas's Defense Attorney, Ryan Tutera.
We believe in our client's innocence. We still believe in our client's innocence. The fight's not over. This will be years of appeals," Tutera told 6 News.How much time will Thomas be facing in jail?
That's still unclear, but the attorneys say it could be a "significant period of incarceration."
"Some of these counts don't merge. They will not merge for the purposes of sentencing, which means unfortunately, he's going to be facing an argument from the government where they're going to be asking possibly for consecutive time," Tutera explained.
While the defense says "the fight's not over," the prosecution stands in solidarity with the victim and all victims everywhere.
"Hopefully if victims out there see this verdict, that they will have the bravery to come forward and seek the justice that they also deserve," Schulte told 6 News.
While the prosecution says Thomas is "where he belongs," the defense is already getting ready for a series of appeals.
After closing arguments, the defense filed a motion for a mistrial, but it was denied by Judge Creany.
The defense attorneys argued that "the burden of proof is on the Commonwealth," while they say the prosecution's closing arguments suggested otherwise.
"We feel that he shifted the burden, and I want to be clear that the defense never has a burden," Tutera said.
Thomas will also evaluated by the Sexual Offender's Assessment Board before his sentencing.
Officials with the Attorney General's office say they will be fighting for a consecutive sentence for Thomas.
All the victim ever wanted was to be believed. She walked out of here knowing in her heart that she was believed. There's nothing more gratifying to her than knowing that she was believed," Schulte said.The AG's office also clarified that since two of the charges Thomas was convicted of are felonies, he will not be able to run for District Attorney again and his law licenses will likely either be suspended for a long time or he will be disbarred completely.
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