Man pleads guilty in 2 sexual assault cases
A San Francisco man pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting two young girls, according to local prosecutors.
Robert Thomas, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of sodomy of a child younger than 14 and one count of committing a lewd act upon more than one child, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
San Francisco police first arrested Thomas in May 2011 after a girl reported he had repeatedly raped and assaulted her from the time she was 8 years old to when she was 15, according to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors said Thomas recorded some of the assaults and threatened to kill the girl and her family members to keep her quiet.
Over the course of the investigation, officials discovered Thomas was responsible for several assaults dating to 1998 involving girls ages 8 to 19, according to prosecutors. Jail records show Thomas was being held in San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of 15 crimes, including possession of child pornography and three counts of rape.
Thomas agreed to plead guilty to just two charges as part of a deal with local prosecutors, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told the Chronicle. The specific charges stem from the 2011 rape and another incident in March 2001 when Thomas sexually assaulted a 12-yearold girl, according to prosecutors.
“This case is a testament to the power and strength of sexual assault survivors,” Assistant District Attorney Melissa Demetral, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement. “Not only were they incredibly brave to report the abuse, but they also persevered for years as the case made its way through the justice system. They stand together as seven fierce women to reclaim their power, a power that the defendant took from them for so long. I am truly honored to have met and worked with every single one of them. The defendant’s conduct in this case is truly deplorable. And this plea reflects the gravity of his conduct.”
Thomas is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on Feb. 6. He could spend between 50 years to life in state prison, according to the district attorney’s office. The guilty plea does not preclude Thomas from facing additional charges in the future if new victims come forward, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said.