Thomas indicted on sex offense charge

Board member will have public hearing later this month

The criminal case and the relationship detailed in the report are two separate cases. Thomas and the student denied any sexual contact in the relationship outlined in the board report.

‘‘These are very shocking allegations, of a former teacher and current school board member exploiting his position of authority to allegedly prey on an underage student,” Ivey said Tuesday.

Ivey said other students were interviewed in the investigation, but nothing rose to the point where charges were appropriate.

Ivey said a trial date would be set later this week, but he expected the trial to start sometime in the fall.

The Thomas report led school board members to seek his ouster, and the state Board of Education has scheduled a hearing June 25 on that request. If the state board also moves to oust Thomas, Gov. Martin O’Malley would have to agree.

Thomas’ hearing was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. June 25 in Baltimore. But Bruce Marcus, Thomas’s attorney, said he would request a one-day delay, citing a scheduling conflict.

Thomas was accused in May of third-degree sex offense – a charge applied when no violence or coercion was involved – by a student at Forestville Military Academy who graduated from the school last week.

Thomas, 26, was accused of having sex with the then-15-year-old at his District Heights home on at least three occasions between August 2004 and October 2005.

Thomas was not present in the Upper Marlboro courtroom Tuesday morning. He was represented by Marcus.

Marcus said he and Thomas were not surprised an indictment was issued.

‘‘It’s not difficult to get an indictment from a grand jury,” Marcus said.

Thomas, who was once considered a rising star in Prince George’s County political circles, has seen colleagues on the board and County Executive Jack Johnson call for his resignation since the allegations surfaced in May.

‘‘I had hoped that Mr. Thomas would have seen the impact to the school board and go ahead and resign, so we can find a replacement and take care of our kids in the county,” at-large board member Ron Watson said after the state charged Thomas with ‘‘immorality and misconduct in office” last week.