Pearl River Man Sentenced For Indecent Behavior With Girls

District Attorney Warren Montgomery reports that Jason W. Thomas (58) of Pearl River was

sentenced Monday (February 25, 2019) to serve 1½ years in prison for two counts of attempted indecent behavior with a juvenile. District Judge William “Rusty” Knight sentenced Thomas to 3½ years on each count but suspended 2 years of the sentence if Thomas follows the conditions of probation. Knight sentenced Thomas to three years of probation to be served after the jail term. Thomas, who had no prior criminal arrest record, also was ordered to receive treatment and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The sentence came just days after a St. Tammany Parish jury found Thomas guilty of the lesser charges. Thomas initially was charged with two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile for making inappropriate comments about the body parts of a 14-year-old girl, touching her bottom sexually over a period of about three years, and having her take partially nude photos of herself with his camera.

When the victim told family members what was happening, another woman revealed that Thomas had made similar comments to her and that when she was about 12 years old, he walked nude in front of her several times and French-kissed her against her wishes.

Both victims made impact statements to the court before the sentencing.