Opting for a trial is always a roll of the dice for a criminal defendant.
Case in point is Thomas James Gregory, whose trial didn’t end the way he was hoping on Tuesday. Gregory, a 60-year-old Indiana man, was found guilty on all counts, and the judge didn’t hold back, sentencing him to 15 years behind bars and another 25 on probation.
Gregory was convicted on charges of false imprisonment, sexual battery and criminal attempt to commit aggravated sexual battery, according to the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. The jury needed a mere 16 minutes to deliberate.
The case dates back to June 6, 2024. Added the DA’s office: “The defendant...entered the Designer Tan salon on N. Columbia Street where the victim, a 20 year old GCSU student, was working alone. The defendant asked about tanning memberships and to view different tanning beds. As the victim gave him a tour of the business, the defendant touched her buttocks and put his hands down her pants and inside her underwear.”
The victim was able to offer a description of Gregory’s vehicle, and the Milledgeville Police Department was able to trace the vehicle back to a rental car company.
Assistant District Attorney Nancy Scott Molkaly and Jordan B. Bell, a Mercer Law intern, served as the prosecutors.