RI (AP) Providence – Ju umpire has discovered a former Rhode Island High School basketball coach who is not charged with two-degree child abuse and two-degree sexual assault after asking hundreds of male student-athletes over decades. “Shy or not shy” before asking her to be naked. So he was able to check their body fat.
Instead, 12 ju umpires found Aaron Thomas was found guilty of a misdemeanor battery, a lesser claim, in a verdict reported Monday. On the last day of the trial, the lawyer agreed that the ry judge could consider Thomas convicting a misdemeanor battery, rather than the strict fees originally issued against the coach.
Throughout the nearly six-week trial, Thomas’ defense attorney argued that the so-called naked fat test conducted by a formerly beloved coach at North Kingstown High School was wrong but not a crime. The defense said Thomas did not touch the boy athlete because of sexual satisfaction or awakening.
“We would like to thank the ju umpire for their attention and effort and for their verdict. We are very pleased that the ju umpire saw no sexual intentions, as we saw.”
Prosecutors kept that for decades, Thomas had created and implemented a program that would allow free access to young naked boys.
“More than anything, this incident concerns a victim who is suffering quite a bit behind closed doors,” Attorney General Peter Neroni said in a statement. “And despite what the defendant and his defense make you believe, pseudo-science is not an excuse for abuse, nor is it more important than happiness. I believe that what happened here has always been a criminal act, not just a bad judgment.”
Neronha added that the law on restricting two attacks on Rhode Island was three years, pushing for an increase to 10 years, allowing him to pursue more charges.
Under Rhode Island law, misdemeanor batteries can be sentenced to up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Thomas’ ruling will take place on June 26th.
Thomas has conducted multiple student tests over the years, but in September 2000 and February 2002, accusations relating to only two former students who were under the age of 14 at the time.
Thomas’ lawyers argued that the testimony of these former students was unreliable, pointing to one of the boy’s mental health struggles and stressing that he really wanted to pay monetary money under another civil lawsuit.
In his testimony, Thomas told the ju judge that he likely saw more than 600 students throughout his career. This test involved Thomas pinching various areas of the body, including the gro diameter and the near butt area. The test took place in a closed room, first in a small, closet-like room, and ultimately in Thomas’s office.
Thomas admitted on the stand that removing underwear is not necessary, but experts in body fat composition say pinching near the gro diameter is not supported by science as a way to determine body fat.
More than dozens of students testified through the trial, not only law enforcement officers, physical composition experts and former school officials.
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