Former Judge Herman Thomas indicted on inmate sex charges (UPDATE)

Update: 10/26/09

Judge Herman Thomas was found not guilty today of sexual abuse, attempted sodomy and assault.

Thomas, 48, who always maintained his innocence, admitted to bringing inmates into his office to mentor them, trying to get them to do right and to be productive citizens.

Original story

Former Mobile County Circuit Judge Herman Thomas, was arrested after it was alleged that he released prison inmates out of jail and forced them to engage in sexual activity including paddling, authorities said.

The Alabama native was indicted by a grand jury last Friday and was released on $287,500 bond.

Thomas was charged with ethics violations to kidnapping, extortion, sexual abuse and sodomy, and because the kidnapping charge is a Class A felony, if convicted he faces a sentence of 10 to 99 years in prison.

When he was arrested last Friday, the former judge was in the middle of doing a news conference, and footage shows the police walking up to him, tapping him on the shoulder and leading him into an adjacent jail building without handcuffing him.

During the news conference, his attorney, Robert Clark accused the prosecutors of going after his client because he is black man.

“Did you ever think of the fact that this is the only black circuit judge we have ever had in Mobile County and that the right-wing Republicans have gotten rid of him?” he told reporters. “This is racism at its very finest.”

According to reports, nine alleged victims said that after the judge released them from prison, he invited them to a furnished storage room next to his office, and had sexual relations with them including paddling them on their buttocks.

One inmate, who went before the judge on multiple felony charges, was sentenced to a short prison sentence, and after he was released, he was accused of attempted murder.

In 2007, the judge stepped down from the bench just before he was about to face the Alabama Court of the Judiciary on ethics violations charges, alleging “extra judiciary personal contact,” but that compliant was dismissed after his resignation.

His bail came with conditions, he was told not to have any contact with males under the age of 21, no contact with the complaining witnesses or their families, and he was asked to turn in his passport.

Clark said the accusations against his client amount to “a high-tech lynching.”