Image Credit: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, jamescolemanthompson.com & canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A Lookout Mountain business owner pleaded guilty Friday to charges of child sex abuse following his arrest back in June.
54-year-old James Coleman Thompson is facing a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The plea states that Thompson acknowledged that he transported Victim 1, who was a minor at the time, from Lookout Mountain to Scottsboro, Alabama, in November 2000 and engaged in sexual activity with the child.
It was also stated that Thompson transported Victim 2, also a minor, to Scottsboro in September 2000 for the purpose of sexual activity. Thompson then returned the child to Lookout Mountain, where he forced him to strip off his clothing and engage in additional sexual contact.
The original indictment only listed two victims, but the FBI stated that they had reason to believe there were additional victims, asking them to come forward. That indictment was amended later to include a third victim.
The incident involving Victim 3 occurred in either 1999 or 2000, with Thompson transporting the minor to Louisiana. The victim alleged that Thompson engaged in sexual activity with him, but Thompson argued that it only involved inappropriate touching.
Thompson will remain in custody, where he has been since his indictment.
Judge Travis McDonough will issue his sentence at a later date.
