Thomas found guilty of multiple sex crimes against minors

A jury convicted a Helena man of three counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape.

The four-day trial for Jesse Allen Thomas began on May 8 and ended May 11. Thomas’ $250,000 bail has been revoked because the prosecution asked the court to, writing that “There is no basis for the court to find that (Thomas) does not pose a danger to the safety of the community,” according to court documents filed on May 12. He will be sentenced on Aug. 9.

Thomas was originally charged with four felony counts of sexual assault of a minor and two felony counts of sexual intercourse without consent of a minor.

Thomas was arrested in August on suspicion of multiple sex crimes of minors. He was 34 at the time of his arrest.

Maureen Kirby and Cory Laird read impact statements to the court on Thursday at Hunter Nicely’s sentencing.

Megan Michelotti

The Helena Police Department received a report on Aug. 26, 2021, from Child Protection Services regarding possible sexual abuse by Thomas. A forensic interview was done in October 2021 with a teenage girl who told authorities that Thomas had touched her genital area on two occasions.

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