Press Release

Anchorage Man Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Homeless Teenagers

February 16, 2017

(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) Yesterday, an Anchorage jury found 71 year old Kent Thomas guilty of sexually assaulting homeless teenagers in 2008 and 2010 in Anchorage.

In May 2008, Thomas sexually assaulted an 18 year old homeless teen in a van after the teen awoke to Thomas performing a sex act upon him. When the teen began to fight Thomas off, Thomas pulled out a gun and struck the teen in the head multiple times. Officers testified at trial that they arrived on scene and observed Thomas outside the van standing over the teen, who was bleeding extensively from his head. Thomas was convicted of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree and Assault in the Second for this incident.

As forensic analysis was pending from the 2008 sexual assault, in May 2010, a 19 year old homeless teen called 911 to report he had just been sexually assaulted by Thomas at a downtown Anchorage motel. He reported that Thomas threatened him with a gun before cutting his pants with scissors and performing sex acts upon him. Officers testified that Thomas was intoxicated when they arrived and could not remember the 19 year old being in his room at the Inn. The jury returned a verdict of guilty for Attempted Sexual Assault in the First Degree for this incident.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 24, 2017, before Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby. Thomas faces a sentence range of 15 to 47 years in prison. Thomas faces lifetime registration as a sex offender. As a result of the guilty verdicts, Thomas was remanded to the custody of the Department of Corrections where he will remain until his sentencing hearing.

CONTACT: Assistant District Attorney Jason Gist at (907) 269-6300 or jason.gist@alaska.gov. More information about the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office is available at http://www.law.alaska.gov/department/criminal/adao.html.

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.