Ex-Somerset County DA gets probation for no-contest plea to charge of assaulting wife
Former Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas will serve two years of probation after pleading no contest to a charge that he assaulted his wife in 2021.
The probation period will run concurrently with the 2½ -to-7-year prison term Thomas is serving for the sexual assault of a Windber woman, according to Attorney General Michelle Henry.
Thomas was charged with misdemeanor simple assault of his wife and was sentenced to probation in Cambria County.
With a no contest plea, the defendant is not admitting guilt but, at the same time, is not contesting the charges.
Henry noted a no contest plea has the same legal effect as a guilty plea.
Henry said her office’s investigation indicated Thomas repeatedly punched his wife in the head in a vehicle in Johnstown in May 2021.
“This conviction shows that no one is above the law and domestic violence will not be tolerated,” Henry said in a statement.
Thomas was sentenced last August for the Windber assault. A jury convicted him of strangulation and criminal trespassing, both felonies, and simple assault, unlawful restraint, indecent assault and false imprisonment. He was acquitted of sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault.
Thomas’s defense lawyers told The Associated Press he maintains his innocence in the Windber case and intends to appeal, based on alleged evidence that was barred from legal proceedings.
The Windber charges stemmed from a September 2021 incident in which, police said, a woman told investigators Thomas repeatedly contacted her over several years to seek a sexual relationship and would drive around her house. After he sent her a message saying he was headed to her home, she told him to stay away, according to the arrest affidavit.
She told Thomas to leave when he showed up at her home, and a physical attack followed, police said.
Thomas was elected district attorney in 2019. He was suspended after charges were filed in the sexual assault case.
As a result of the convictions, Thomas is prohibited from possessing firearms.
He also is required to register with police as a sex offender for 15 years.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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