LEBANON, Pa. — A Lebanon County man is charged with sexually assaulting two young children and possessing a huge cache of child pornography. Scott Thomas, 54, is also accused of corruption of minors and drug offenses.
According to Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf, police were called to Thomas' home on the 900 block of Lilac Lane last November for a verbal altercation between Thomas and his wife, Veronica. While there, officers were approached by an adolescent foster child residing at the home who told them that Thomas had molested children and possessed child pornography. Police immediately began an investigation.
The Thomases were approved foster parents through Lebanon County Children and Youth. There were several foster children living in their home at the time. The teenager told investigators that the Thomases furnished the children with alcohol and allowed them to use marijuana.Scott Thomas allegedly used methamphetamines when he was supposed to be caring for the children. The teenager also said that other, younger children in the home had confessed that Thomas had molested and took pictures of them.
Police interviewed two other children who accused Thomas of molesting them. One victim told police she was between 5 and 10 years old when she was in the Thomas home. She said Thomas forced her to perform sex acts and told her that it was their secret. Another victim told police she was 5 years old when Thomas molested her when she was in his care, after she'd get home from school for the day.
A week later, police seized multiple electronic devices while executing a search warrant at the Thomas home. According to court documents, investigators found more than 500 images of child pornography on Thomas' devices. The images were of children ranging in age for toddlers to teenagers, some of them extremely graphic. One of the children was actually someone Thomas had cared for when they were a toddler.
Thomas was arrested today on charges of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child, Indecent Assault ( 2 counts), Corruption of Minors, Drug Paraphernalia, and 22 counts of Sexual Abuse of Children ( child pornography).
"There exists nothing more vile or more heinous than an adult who takes advantage of a child's innocence and trust for his own sexual desires and gratifications.Criminals who sexually assault, molest and abuse children are the lowest of the low," said Graf. "The child is victimized not only during the assault or during the creation of child pornography, but for the rest of his or her life."
