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WINDBER, Pa. – Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Lynn Thomas
was arrested Wednesday and charged with raping a woman on Sept. 18
after showing up at her Windber Borough residence late that night,
Pennsylvania State Police said.

In a criminal complaint filed against him Wednesday, Thomas is
accused of entering the woman’s home without permission after
sending her a message on the social media app Snapchat.

Thomas allegedly arrived with several cans of beer and became
“agitated” after the woman rejected his advances, told him to leave
and slapped him. Thomas then struck her in the face, grabbed her by
the neck and then raped her on her couch, Corporal Matthew Auker
wrote in the complaint.

Auker wrote that Thomas only left after the woman told him she
wouldn’t contact the police.

Thomas also faces charges of indecent assault, strangulation, simple
assault and criminal trespass, according to a statement sent out by
the state police.

The woman’s child was in the residence during the attack, according
to the police report.

The woman provided details of Thomas “using marijuana with her at
her residence prior to the sexual assault,” police said, although it
was not clear in the complaint whether that occurred on the night of
the alleged attack or in the past. She reportedly told police that
she has known Thomas in a professional capacity for several years.

The investigation started on Tuesday, after the woman contacted
authorities and spoke with state police in Ebensburg. PSP-Troop A’s
Ebensburg Criminal Investigation Unit, Pennsylvania State Police
Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Cambria County District
Attorney’s Office and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
worked together on the case.

Authorities searched the woman’s home on Tuesday and seized several
cans of beer and items of clothing that she was wearing before the
assault, according to the criminal complaint.

“Upon investigation, troopers determined that Mr. Thomas entered the
home of the victim, an adult female acquaintance, without permission
and remained there after being told to leave,” state police stated
in a news release. “Mr. Thomas is accused of then sexually and
physically assaulting the female victim inside the residence.”

Thomas was arraigned Wednesday in front of on-call Somerset County
Magisterial District Judge Douglas Bell. Thomas was remanded to
Cambria County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail.

His Pittsburgh defense attorney, Ryan Tutera, said Wednesday that
Thomas is innocent of the charges against him and looks forward to
his day in court.

“Jeffrey has worked very hard to protect the rights of victims in
Somerset County and it’s hard for me to believe these allegations
are true,” Tutera said. “We believe there’s more to this story than
what is being told.”

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro described the allegations
against Thomas as “deeply disturbing.”

“Mr. Thomas is entrusted by the public to uphold the law and serve
as a voice for victims,” Shapiro said in the police press release.
“I commend the bravery of the victim that has come forward – that is
never an easy thing to do, especially when your abuser is a powerful
elected official. Today is a reminder that no one is above the law.”

Thomas’ preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29 before
Magisterial District Judge William Seger.

Thomas, a Republican, was sworn in as Somerset County’s district
attorney in 2020. This marks the third time over less than two years
since he’s been accused of misconduct.

Right-to-know requests in October 2020 revealed maintenance staff
found empty “boxes” of beer and beer cans inside his office – an act
that violated the county’s Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace Policy.


“I don’t disagree that it’s an issue if someone is intoxicated
beyond the legal limit, but it’s another thing if you’re acting responsibly,” Thomas said at the time, saying the county was
“harassing” him with memos and warnings.

The letter was sent at a time Thomas had been pressing county
commissioners to authorize him to hire additional staff for his
office.

Later that same month, Richland Township police filed summary
citations, including harassment, against Thomas for altercations
involving workers at a local gymnastics facility and a pizzeria
during his daughter’s birthday.

He was accused of using “vulgar and abusive” language while staff
and customers were present at the pizza shop. He returned to the gym
for the party and tried to pick a fight with the gymnastics business
owner’s husband, Uzelac Gymnastics owner Brenda Uzelac said at the
time.

Thomas said he was upset when pizzas didn’t arrive at his daughter’s
party and got “upset,” but maintained he was not guilty of the
allegations against him.

“It was a disaster, and I got upset, just like, I think, any other
father who’s watching (his) five-year-old daughter upset because her
party was screwed up,” Thomas said at the time.

The charges were withdrawn in February after Thomas issued apologies
to both businesses.

Dave Sutor is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached
at (814) 532-5056. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Sutor.

David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on
Twitter @TDDavidHurst and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.

https://www.tribdem.com/news/somerset-county-district-attorney- jeffrey-thomas-charged-with-rape-assault/article_d628a502-1c13- 11ec-b337-53aafae59a9a.html

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