Vincent Thomas
VENTURA COUNTY — Perhaps pointing to a serious flaw in California’s justice system wherein presumptions of innocence fall under the weight of today’s bail system, on July 10th, 47-year-old Thousand Oaks resident Vincent Thomas was taken into custody and jailed on a charge of lewd acts with a child allegedly occurring ten years prior. The accusation of his crime was only made in June of this year by a female now approximately 26 years of age.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Dan Hawes, Thomas—“a youth soccer coach in the Ventura County area for the past 20 years—stands accused by his purported victim of having “had a sexual relationship with her when she was between the ages of 14 to 16,” a decade ago. Pursuant to “a detailed investigation” by Thousand Oaks detectives, Thomas’s home was the subject of a search warrant on July 10th, following which Thomas himself was contacted elsewhere and arrested for committing lewd acts upon a child.
Taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail for booking based upon the victim’s allegations and the VCSD’s “detailed investigation,” Thomas remains in custody with his bail set at $100,000.
Should he fail to post a minimum 10% bond supported by additional collateral, Thomas—presumed innocent under the provisions of the United States Constitution—remains incarcerated pending an appearance before a magistrate of the Ventura County Superior Court. Should he successfully post a non-refundable $10,000 bond, Thomas will be released on bail and then be faced with the legal costs attendant to the challenges of proving his (legally presumed) innocence.
According to Hawes, these allegations have given rise to suspicions that “due to his many years of exposure to female soccer players throughout Ventura County” the Thousand Oaks Police Department is requesting “anyone” with information about Thomas to contact them at (805) 494-8229.
Photo: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking
