by Jessica Taloney
Published: Wed, October 14, 2009 - 1:34 pm CST
Last Updated: Wed, October 14, 2009 - 2:49 pm CST
MOBILE, Alabama - Testimony continued Wednesday with the third alleged victim back on the stand. The 26-year-old told jurors about letters he wrote to Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Herman Thomas while he was incarcerated at Mobile Metro Jail.In one of the letters, which have not yet been admitted into evidence, the accuser told Thomas he knew the judge was under investigation, but he hoped Thomas would "help him" before he resigned.
"Whatever you need me to do, I swear I'll do it," said the accuser, who admitted he believed he would get paddled again. The accuser told jurors he was whipped multiple times with a belt and fraternity paddle, which he described as a long, brown paddle with holes in it and red and white fraternity letters.
The accuser told jurors he had a pending case before Judge Thomas and the judge told him "a lawyer would do you no good in my courtroom." He says he often visited with Thomas in private, and described one incident when he was riding in the car with Thomas. "He grabbed my penis, and I pushed his hand away," said the accuser, who testified Thomas told him he loved him.
On cross examination, defense attorney Bob Clark told the accuser "you try to tell everybody what they want to hear to help yourself out," referring to how the accuser was able to repeatedly get out of jail. "You knew how to play the system," Clark said, but the accuser quickly responded saying, "I wasn't playing the system, the system was playing me."
Clark insists Thomas never responded to the accuser's letters.
The accuser's mother took the stand next, telling jurors her son told her about the alleged sexual abuse, but she admitted she didn't believe him at first. "He told me Judge Thomas liked to spank people," she told jurors. "He was telling me he took him to another office that he had. Then, he'd encourage them to pull his clothes down."
During the mother's testimony, she told jurors Thomas helped her get a job at Mobile Metro Jail. While working at the jail, she noticed Judge Thomas often showed up at the jail and picked up inmates. "He would come in the docket area. Someone from the docket area would get a defendant and bring them to him," she testified, admitting she grew increasingly suspicious.
The mother then began taking notes, documenting when she would see Thomas at the jail. In her notes, which she read aloud in court, she named four inmates, including one of the accusers. She said Thomas picked each of them up from the jail between December 2003 and October 2004.
The mother said she confided in a co-worker about the statements her son had made to her earlier, but the co-worker told Judge Thomas what she said. The mother testified Thomas then confronted her about the allegations and told her "he'd never help her son again."
Late Wednesday afternoon, prosecutors called the fourth accuser to the stand. The alleged victim, 26, testified he was repeatedly paddled while he was on probation under Judge Thomas. He described multiple paddlings, including one occasion when he noticed Judge Thomas' "private area" was exposed.
The accuser, who is much shorter than the judge, said when he turned around during the paddling, the judge pushed his head, forcing the accuser's mouth to touch the judge's genitals. The accuser said he immediately grabbed his clothes and ran out of the room.
Thomas pleaded not guilty to more than 70 felony counts including sodomy, sexual abuse, kidnapping and extortion. All fourteen accusers are expected to testify during the trial.
Thomas stepped down from the circuit court bench in October 2007 as the allegations first started to surface.
For updates from inside the courtroom throughout the day, follow me on twitter.
First Accuser Takes Stand In Herman Thomas Sex Trial
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