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Adrian man in prison for child sexual abuse

ADRIAN – An Adrian man convicted of child molestation and sexual abuse of his stepdaughter has been sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison.

A jury in Lenawee County District Court convicted 57-year-old Douglas Henry Thoms in April of first-degree sexual abuse of a person under 13, two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a person under 13 and one count of child molestation. The jury acquitted him of the charge of exhibitionism.

Before he was sentenced by District Judge Anna Marie Anzalone on August 7, Thoms complained that he was not allowed to testify at trial and that two witnesses were not called by his former attorney, Samuel J. Bernstein of Ann Arbor, to testify. He also requested a retrial before District Judge Michael R. Olsaver.

Anzalone reminded Thoms, who attended the sentencing via video from the Lenawee County Jail, that he had decided not to testify at the trial and told him those points could be raised on appeal.

Thoms released Bernstein before his original sentencing date in June, and Anzalone gave him a month to hire a new attorney. When he was unable to find a new attorney in time to represent him for the new July 30 sentencing date, Anzalone hired the Lenawee County Public Defender's Office to represent him.

The first-degree sexual abuse count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison. Anzalone sentenced Thoms to 25 to 50 years in that count, 5 years and 11 months to 15 years in the second-degree sexual abuse count, and 5 years and 11 months to 10 years in the child molestation count. She gave him credit for the 105 days he had already served in prison before the sentencing. The sentences will be served concurrently. She also ordered him to register as a sex offender for life and to have no direct or indirect contact with the victim.

During the trial, the victim, now in her 20s, who reported the abuse to police in 2021, described physical and sexual abuse by Thoms that took place when she was between 5 and 12 or 13 years old. Some of the assaults took place under the guise of “flea control” in the family's insect-infested homes in Adrian, and she described an incident of physical abuse with a machete as occurring during one of the religious rituals that regularly took place in their homes. Thoms' wife described her religion as Wicca, with aspects of Native American shamanism and Western esoteric practices such as Freemasonry and sacred geometry.

The victim did not speak in court on August 7, but submitted a written victim impact statement. Lenawee County Assistant Prosecutor Phebie McClure told the court that the victim was present for the sentencing on July 30, but did not feel able to be present on August 7. On July 30, McClure told the court that family members who do not support the victim have been contacting the victim, making the situation more emotionally difficult for her.

The victim's former mother-in-law, Stella Shananaquet, gave a victim impact statement about how the victim's abuse and family life during her childhood had affected her. Thoms' attorney, Salvatore Molaro Jr., objected to Shananaquet's testimony, but Anzalone allowed it under the Crime Victim's Rights Act, which allows victims to name someone to give the victim impact statement on their behalf. Anzalone took time to review the case law and found a precedent that allows a specific person to give their own victim impact statement, rather than the victim's statement.

McClure said the victim was alienated from her family by the abuse and will suffer for a long time.

“I agree with Stella that it was not until she was an adult that she realized her home life was not normal. I think that affected her deeply and the sentence should reflect that,” McClure said.

Molaro, who said he was in the difficult position of not knowing anything about what happened during the trial, asked for the minimum sentence for the charges, citing Thoms' lack of prior convictions, his age and his medical condition. He also said that while Thoms was in prison awaiting sentencing, he was subjected to blackmail and extortion by other inmates and he and his wife lost a significant amount of money. Anzalone said the Thomses could report the theft to police.

– Contact reporter David Panian at [email protected] or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

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