The fate of suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeff Thomas has been decided for the next few months.
Nicole Fuschino has been following this story for us Today and has the details
Thomas was ordered to Adult Probation during the hearing this Morning and his bail has been revoked by the Attorney General’s office.
The decision follows Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s motion that was made Yesterday to revoke Thomas’s bail in light of new charges that came out this week.
Judge Creany decided that Thomas’s bond would be revoked & that he will be on Adult Probation.
Creany says Thomas must reside at his parents home in Windber, he cannot have contact with his wife or witnesses, and that he will have an ankle monitor with GPS installed.
Thomas was present in the courtroom as his wife and mother testified on his behalf.
On Wednesday, Thomas was accused of new crimes, after prosecutors say he chased a witness connected to his original sexual assault case.
Court documents filed by the AG’s office say he crashed his truck into the witnesses vehicle in Windber and police video shows him taunting the person.
The suspended District Attorney remains in the center of that sexual assault case being handled by the State Attorney General’s office. In that case Thomas is accused of sexually assulting a woman in her Windber home back in September.
The AG’s office attorneys argued that Thomas is a quote dangerous person who cannot be trusted until he gets to trial, and that full incarceration is too harsh.
Defense Attorney Ryan Tutera argued that the citations Thomas received were simple and minor and that many of the incidents happened a year ago and were reported late.
“Nobody wants to sit in any county jail pending trial. We know that there are a lot of men and women that are sitting in county jails pending trial and it’s very difficult for those individuals to have access to their lawyers and to help assist their lawyers in preparation of the case. So, of course it goes without saying, that this is obviously a benefit to him.”
“He’s the district attorney. He was elected in this county. We don’t think that that plays into anything. I would assert that in some respects that that may be working against him.”
Tutera told us that he is not commenting on whether or not this decision impacts Thomas’s plans to resign as District Attorney.
