March 8, 2021
By News Director Jared Atha
A Clinton man has been charged with first degree rape after allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.
According to the probable cause affidavit, 21-year-old Brandon Lee Thomas was arrested and charged in Custer County with the crime after police were made aware of the inappropriate relationship by the victim’s father. The court document stated that the father first became aware of the relationship after the school had contacted his wife about it. The father would search the child’s phone and found inappropriate messages from Thomas to the youth. The father says that when he approached the girl about the messages and the relationship with Thomas, she told him that on February 1, Thomas had come to their home and had allegedly raped her.
During a forensic interview, the victim would tell police that she had met Thomas through a social media app and that they agreed to meet in person at her house. The victim said when Thomas came over, they first began to talk but that Thomas began to touch and kiss her. When the victim tried to pull away, Thomas would allegedly pick her up and put her on a bed. Eventually Thomas would allegedly have sexual intercourse with her.
The victim told police that during the incident, Thomas was playing pornographic videos of girls being raped, and would tell her that it could happen to her if she did not cooperate.
While interviewing Thomas, he would tell police that he knew the victim was not 18, but did not think she was 13-years-old.
Thomas is due in court for a preliminary hearing conference on April 2.
