Couple plead no contest to abuse of adopted children
A West Manchester Township couple accused of abusing their six adopted children entered pleas Tuesday in York County Court.
John Henry Thomas, 54, of Margate Drive, pleaded no contest to sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor, both felonies. In exchange for his plea, numerous other charges against him -- including rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and endangering the welfare of children -- were dismissed.
As part of his plea agreement, Thomas is expected to be sentenced to three to seven years in state prison, followed by five years of supervised probation, according to senior deputy prosecutor Christopher Moore.
He will have to register with the state police as a sexual offender for the rest of his life, and a future Megan's Law hearing will determine whether he is a sexually violent predator, Moore said.
Carol Ann Thomas, 60, of the same address, pleaded no contest to felony endangering the welfare of children. It was a "straight" plea, Moore said, meaning there was no agreed-upon sentence, Instead, Common Pleas Judge Thomas Kelley will determine her punishment.
But Moore said he expects she will serve time in county prison.
"I think she deserves to go to jail for what she did," he said. "She knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it."
Defendants who plead no contest, or nolo contendere, are not admitting guilt. Rather, they are saying they will not contest the charges against them. Otherwise, a no-contest plea has the same effect as a plea guilty.
The background: Court documents state that one of the six children reported she was punched in the stomach until she vomited. Others said they were beaten with a tree limb, a cast-iron frying pan and a table leg, documents state.
In other instances, one child said she was forced to stand barefoot on a hot radiator, and another child was forced to drink the Thomases' urine, according to police, who said John Thomas also sexually abused a teenage daughter.
The children also said they were forced to go without food and sit and watch others eat for days and forced to hit other children in the household, according to police. Some of the children had scars from the incidents, police said.
The Thomases denied all the allegations, and maintained that one of the children convinced the others to make up lies about their parents.
"If I thought the kids made it up, I would've never prosecuted the case," Moore said. "The pleas are good because they get (the Thomases) to accept responsibility, and punish them for what they've done. The community will know what they've done ... and know that he's a sex offender."
Kids 'doing well': All six children remain together and are in a foster home, the prosecutor said.
"The kids are doing well now," Moore said.
The Thomases, who remain free on bail pending sentencing, are not allowed to have contact with the children.
John Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced by Common Pleas Judge Thomas Kelley on Jan. 5, and Carol Thomas has sentencing set for Nov. 17, according to court records.
The couple's phone number has been disconnected, and they could not be reached for comment.
Defense attorney Lori Yost, who represents John Thomas, declined comment. Defense attorney Erin Thompson, who represents Carol Thomas, could not be reached for comment.
-- Reach Elizabeth Evans at levans@yorkdis patch.com or 505-5429.