
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 22, 1991                   TAG: 9102220491
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: VICTORIA RATCLIFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

EX-PASTOR GUILTY OF SEX CRIMES

The former pastor of a Southeast Roanoke church was found guilty Thursday of fondling an 8-year-old member of his congregation and telling her to fondle him last November, as two church members watched through a window of his Vinton home.

A Roanoke County Circuit Court jury of eight men and four women sentenced Philip Randall Thomas, 58, of Cleveland Avenue in Vinton, to 20 years in prison. He faced a maximum of 25 years for one count of aggravated sexual battery and one count of taking indecent liberties with a child younger than 14.

Thomas, who resigned as pastor of King's Memorial Church the day after the incident, had denied the charges, saying the two members who said they witnessed the offenses "set me up so that they could take the church from me."

Circuit Judge G.O. Clemens set sentencing for April 9 and allowed Thomas to remain free on a $10,000 bond. Randy Leach, chief assistant Roanoke County commonwealth's attorney, objected, asking the judge to send Thomas to jail "in light of the jury verdict."

Defense attorney Pat Doherty said Wednesday that the charges arose from a rift within the church, in which some members wanted to engage a new pastor and others wanted to keep Thomas.

Bobby Thurman, one of the witnesses who testified he saw Thomas fondle the child, now is pastor of the Fallon Park church.

Wednesday, Thurman testified that when he and his wife, Dot, went for a walk the night of Nov. 3 they stopped by Thomas' house. Thurman said he went to the door, looked through a window next to the door and saw Thomas rubbing the child's legs.

Later that evening Thurman and his sister-in-law, Judy Ralph, returned to Thomas' house and looked through the window. That time, Thurman said, he watched Thomas rub the girl's stomach as the two sat on Thomas' living room sofa.

Ralph testified she saw Thomas fondle the girl and heard him tell her to fondle him.

Thomas admitted Thursday he might have rubbed the child's leg in his home that night, but couldn't remember doing so. He said he had not molested her and that she had not touched him sexually.

Thomas said the girl had asked to wear one of his shirts, and was wearing it as a dress, with panties. Thurman and Ralph had identified the shirt as the one they had seen the girl wearing. But Thomas said they probably saw the girl outside that evening wearing the shirt before she changed back into her own clothes to go home.

by CNB