Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 8 February
DA: Handyman kept ‘perverse shrine’ to serial child rape

MICHAEL RUBINKAM tims to come forward, say- had just renovated found and found more sexually
Associated Press ing Thomas wrote about the plywood on which explicit accounts scrawled
(AP) - A Pennsylvania molesting children as Thomas had written about on the walls, court docu-
handyman accused of se- young as 3 and as far back sexually assaulting two ments said.
rial child rape kept a “per- as the 1970s. young girls, Thomas told police he had
verse shrine” in his trailer “To be blunt about it, this authorities said. been sexually attracted
home — as many as 1,000 is a real-life boogeyman,” Police searched Thomas’s to children since adoles-
pairs of used girl’s under- Bucks County District At- trailer and found — in ad- cence, the affidavit said.
wear — and documented torney Matthew Weintraub dition to the underwear, He said he would occa-
his crimes in hundreds of said at a news conference. drawings and his written sionally steal girls’ under-
disturbing, graphic images Speaking by video during accounts — more than wear while working as a
and writings, authorities a brief court appearance, 1,000 images of child por- contractor in customers’
said. Thomas said he “never in- nography, including Pola- houses. Some of the under-
Investigators said William flicted any pain on a child, roid photos with the names wear was found hanging
Charles Thomas’ crimes This photo shows William nor would I want to.” of three of the victims listed over his bed, court docu-
Charles Thomas of Morrisville,
were discovered because Pa. Thomas was arraigned “I just need somebody to in court documents “as well ments said.
he wrote about sex assaults Tuesday, Feb. 7 on 51 charg- believe that I’m not the as names of children who Falls Township Police Lt.
on a piece of plywood es, including five counts of evil, disgusting person that have yet to be identified,” Henry Ward called the
that he used in a renova- child rape, and was jailed people are making me out a police affidavit said. scene inside Thomas’s trail-
tion project. on $750,000 bail. Authorities to be,” he said, according “This was a perverse shrine er horrific.
Thomas, 58, of Morrisville, urged other victims to come to The (Easton) Express- to his criminal conquests. “Try to come up with your
forward, saying Thomas wrote
was arraigned Tuesday on about molesting children as Times. And we are merely scratch- worst scenario and times
51 charges, including five young as 3 and as far back Police in the Philadelphia ing the surface of those that by 10. And it’ll get
counts of child rape, and as the 1970s. suburbs said they began conquests today,” Wein- close to what we saw,” he
was jailed on $750,000 bail. (Bucks County District Attor- the investigation when the traub said. said.
Authorities urged other vic- ney’s Office via AP) owner of a trailer Thomas Police also searched a Court documents cite
shed on another property abuse dating at least to
once owned by Thomas the 1990s.q

Ohio man pleads not guilty in case

based partly on pacemaker data

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — A window with his cane and
man charged with arson threw the items through the
based partly on data col- window before carrying
lected from his pacemaker them to his car, according
pleaded not guilty Tuesday to police.
to setting his Ohio home on He also said he had a car-
fire. diac pacemaker, authori-
Authorities have said gas- ties said.
oline was found on Ross Court records show that
Compton’s clothing and police got a search war-
that the fire started in mul- rant to retrieve electronic
tiple places, but Lt. Jimmy data stored on the heart
Cunningham told WLWT- device. The data includ-
TV the medical data rep- ed Compton’s heart rate,
resented some of “the key pacer demand and cardi-
pieces of evidence” in the ac rhythms before, during
case. and after the fire, police
Compton’s home tele- said.
phone number is discon- A pacemaker monitors the
nected, and his attorney heart and helps control ir-
didn’t immediately return regular heart rhythms. The
a call seeking comment information is recorded
Tuesday. But Compton pre- and can be retrieved for
viously told WLWT that the analysis.
investigation had “gone A cardiologist determined
way out of control” and that it was “highly improb-
that he had “no motive able,” due to his medical
whatsoever to burn down conditions, that Compton
my house.” could do all the collect-
Compton told authorities ing, packing and removal
that when he saw the fire of items from his house
Sept. 19 inside his Middle- and then carry them in the
town home, he packed short period of time he indi-
some belongings in a suit- cated, according to court
case and bags, broke a records.q