Cal Fire employee says ex-captain groped her at work. Now he faces sexual battery charge
Update, 10 a.m. Thursday:
James Peter Thomas pleaded not guilty in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Thursday morning to a single misdemeanor count of sexual battery. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 18.
Original story:
An employee at Cal Fire’s Los Osos station spoke publicly Wednesday about what prosecutors say was an act of sexual battery committed by a captain at the agency.
Capt. James Peter Thomas retired days after he was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery about a month ago, Cal Fire said.
Carrie Young, the South Bay’s Station 15 assistant to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Provence, told The Tribune that Thomas reached under her shirt and groped her at her work desk.
“It was just a complete shock that something like that could happen in such a safe place,” Young said via phone Wednesday.
Young said that, after she reported the incident to Provence, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office was immediately brought in to investigate.
With investigators on the line, she conducted a “pre-text” phone call to Thomas in which he admitted to the conduct, she said.
The recording of that call is likely to be a key piece of evidence in court. The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery against Thomas on Wednesday.
He’s scheduled to be arraigned in San Luis Obispo Superior Court Thursday morning.
Thomas’s arrest was first reported by The Tribune roughly five days following his departure from Cal Fire on Dec. 18, which occurred four days after his arrest.
San Luis Obispo County Jail records show that Thomas, 56, was booked into the jail at about 11:45 p.m. Dec. 14 on an unlisted charge, and was released from custody by midnight Dec. 16.
A Sheriff’s Office commander confirmed that his agency took a report on Dec. 9 alleging a sexual battery had occurred.
Sheriff’s Office detectives and members of its sexual assault unit conducted a followup investigation and arrested Thomas on Dec. 14 after contacting him.
The Sheriff’s Office would not confirm where the alleged incident occurred, where Thomas was arrested, or other details regarding the case, other than to say the results of their investigation were forwarded to the county District Attorney’s Office for review and possible prosecution.
Assistant district attorney Eric Dobroth previously said that his agency’s records show that the Sheriff’s Office report recommended prosecutors file the single misdemeanor charge of sexual battery against Thomas.
Employee rosters provided to The Tribune by Cal Fire show Thomas has worked for the agency in San Luis Obispo County for at least several years.
San Luis Obispo County Cal Fire spokesman Capt. Adan Orozco previously said he could not comment on the ongoing criminal case, but he confirmed Thomas retired Dec. 18.
Five days later, on Dec. 22, the agency sent a news release to area media announcing the retirement of five local Cal Fire captains last month.
Thomas’s retirement was not mentioned in the release.
Young said on Wednesday that she’s “pissed” that Thomas was able to retire from the agency quietly, but thinks the way her allegations were taken seriously by Provence and her station’s command staff set an example for how similar situations should be handled.
If convicted, Thomas faces a maximum of six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 4:36 PM.
