St. Paul fire inspector charged in assault of 13-year-old on way to school

A fire inspector with the city of St Paul s Department of Safety and Inspections has been charged with three felonies after leadership say he allegedly picked up a girl who had missed her bus brought her to his apartment and tried to sexually assault her and pay her for sex James Allen Thomas of Woodbury was charged with one count of kidnapping one count of second-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct with someone under and one count of soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct according to the criminal complaint The city authenticated that Thomas is employed as a DSI Fire Safety Inspector II The complaint gave the following details about the charges At about a m on May The -year-old declared that after she missed her bus she began to walk to school As she walked she decided to go into a medicinal clinic nearby to ask for help because she was getting cold and wet from the rain As she neared the clinic s entrance on Phalen Boulevard a man in a gray SUV demanded if she needed help Shivering she declared yes and then used her school iPad to communicate to the man that she needed a ride to middle school When she got into his bus she noticed the man was wearing a uniform with a patch and his name embroidered on the shirt He also had a radio like a police officer the complaint disclosed She assumed he was a prevention officer Rather than drive toward the school he drove her to an apartment building brought her into an apartment and locked the door behind them He motioned for her to go into the bedroom She did and sat on the bed When he tried to touch her and then offered her she stated no He then grabbed her iPad and inquired if her location was on She noted it did and that she needed to get to school They left this instant after that He brought her back to his car and questioned questions such as if she had ever had sex and what her home address was The girl remembered her mother had warned her to never give out her address so the girl gave her school address Eventually he brought her to the school As soon as she got out of the car she began to cry Thomas got out of the car when he saw a staff member hugging the girl and mentioned he was a sergeant with the St Paul Fire Department who had picked the girl up and brought her to school Shortly after the girl was taken to the Midwest Children s Source Center for a healthcare evaluation The girl identified Thomas in a photo line up and then was able to identify his apartment building and apartment when officials took her to the area Precaution camera footage from the healthcare clinic manifested the girl getting into Thomas carriage Thomas was arrested on June He waived his legal rights and admitted giving the girl a ride to school that day When he was notified that his car was equipped with a device that automatically tracks exactly where the carriage goes and how it s being driven he then added that he had to stop by his apartment to lock it because it had been broken into in the past few days He disclosed the girl remained in the car at the time He denied touching the girl other than possibly grazing her arm when he looked at her iPad He also added that the girl looked about years old and seemed scared expletive while she was with him Thomas is scheduled to have his first court appearance at a m Monday Related Articles Police Gunshots followed Burnsville High School graduation ceremony but no injuries Brooklyn Center attorney suspended by Minnesota Supreme Court Apple Valley woman latest to be charged in Feeding Our Future fraud U S Customs and Margin Protection officer charged with possessing child porn Man once convicted in Minnesota of supporting al-Qaida is now charged in Canada for alleged threats