Add To Favorites
Man charged with second-degree sex abuse
Register-Guard - 7/29/2020
A man is facing one felony count of sexual abuse in Lane County after allegedly having sexual intercourse with someone without their consent.
Zachariah James Thomas was arrested by Eugene police on suspicion of the crime Monday at about 6:30 p.m. Thomas was arraigned Tuesday in Lane County Circuit Court and charged with one felony count of sexual abuse in the second-degree.
According to court documents, Thomas "unlawfully and knowingly" subjected a person to sexual intercourse who did not consent on July 13 in Lane County.
Second-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony with a maximum sentence of five years and maximum fine of $125,000. There is no minimum sentence.
This charge differs from Oregon's rape charges, which require a victim to be under a certain age, incapable of consent due to mental defect, incapacitation or physical helplessness, or "forcibly compulsed" to have intercourse, according to state statute.
Thomas is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Sept. 3.
Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at jbrown@registerguard.com or 541-338-2203, and follow her on Twitter @thejordynbrown and Instagram @registerguard. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
___
(c)2020 The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.)
Visit The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.) at www.registerguard.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.