SOMERSET COUNTY — A motions hearing for the upcoming trial of suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas lasted about four hours on Thursday.
It was procedural in nature, and went through what can and cannot be allowed at trial.
Thomas will remain on house arrest until his trial, but his wife took the stand Thursday to tell the judge she lost her job as an attorney because of the publicity of her husband’s sexual assault case.
She does not have an income, she is starting her own firm and needs help with their three kids.
The judge decided to modify Thomas’ bond so he can move back in with his wife, once he updates his address with probation officers, and if a judge decides to lift a no-contact order in Cambria County.
“This is step one in that. This is step one. His bond conditions in another county still apply statewide, so of course, he has another hurdle but this is one hurdle down,” Thomas’ attorney Ryan Tutera said.
The Attorney General’s Office also went after the defense’s notion that this case is based on vindictive prosecution.
The defense made claims in court Thursday that Thomas is being framed and is a political prisoner.
The judge told the defense and prosecutors the argument does not apply and is prohibited from being used in court.
He said the case will be prosecuted on what can be proven in court, not off-the-wall contentions.
The judge also had to decide whether Thomas was in contempt of court for a statement he gave to a newspaper reporter for an article not related to the trial, but apparently called the commonwealth’s case bogus.
While the judge said he did feel like this was a violation of the decorum order, he didn’t have all of the parameters in place that were established on Thursday.
He reiterated to the courtroom that this case is not one tried on widespread conspiracy theory.
There will likely be another hearing or two before the trial in September.
“We’ve been moving this case down the road and haven’t been delaying, delays do come up but this is a reasonable grant of time for us to make our responses, if further motions come up, he’ll address them when they come up,” Tutera said.
Discovery of phone records, DNA evidence and decisions on wire tapping evidence will be submitted or turned over in the next 30-45 days.