The 26-year prison sentence of Todd Thomas, a 26 year-old man from Arlington, has been overturned by the D.C. Court of Appeals. Thomas’s crimes, which include sexual assaults on 5 male Georgetown students, earned him the nickname “Georgetown Cuddler.”

Given the large number of similar cases in Georgetown, many of which involved women—Thomas is likely not the only one to be given the moniker.

Thomas was originally convicted of 11 charges, including burglary, sexual assault, and simple assault. He is accused of breaking into the homes of Georgetown students on the 1200 and 1300 blocks of 33rd and 35th streets and groping sleeping, male students. In at least one case, he allegedly sexually assaulted a student.

Today, however, the D.C. Court of Appeals overturned Thomas’ 2010 conviction. A three-judge panel ruled that Thomas will receive a new trial.

The panel decided that the judge who oversaw Thomas’ original conviction erroneously permitted the introduction of Thomas’ prior conviction as evidence against him. Thomas had pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery in 2008.

“The trial judge abused discretion in permitting that evidence to be presented,” wrote Senior Appeals Court Judge Warren R. King, according to the Post.

On Friday, Vox reported that a Virginia man who had been found guilty of burglaries, assaults, and sexual assault perpetrated against Georgetown students had been sentenced to 26 years in prison. Below is a timeline of his trial and a full accounting of how much time he will serve for each charge on which he was found guilty.

Vox has also reexamined all the crimes that have been attributed to the criminal or criminals known as the “Georgetown Cuddler,” as both the Washington Post and Saxaspeak have reported that the man, Todd Matthew Thomas, was one of the criminals who is sometimes referred to by that name. And our review of all of those crimes makes Vox wary of declaring that police have caught up with any of the criminals who perpetrated “Cuddler” crimes, if what the Post says about his crimes is true. More on that after the jump, but first, the trial.

According to documents from the D.C. Superior Court, prosecution filed the first charge against Todd M. Thomas—burglary one (meaning burglary in the first degree)—on August 23, 2008, at which time he was held “preventatively” without bond. Three days later, the court filed an order for Thomas’s conditional release with GPS monitoring.

On May 13, 2009, prosecution filed seven additional charges against Thomas:

• Four counts of burglary one
• Three counts of simple assault
• One count of attempted burglary two.

Thomas’ arraignment for these charges was scheduled for two days later, but on May 15, Thomas failed to appear in court. His attorney, Reginald Williamson, was present and reported that Thomas was in Baltimore. Judge Gregory Jackson issued a bench warrant without bond for Thomas’ arrest, which stood for three days until he appeared in court on May 18 to plead not guilty to all charges and Jackson canceled the warrant.

Read the rest of this entry »

New information about the sexual assault that occurred on the 3800 block of Calvert Street this Sunday makes the crime appear more serious than it was described by the Metropolitan Police Department e-mail which first reported it.

Jason Cherkis of the Washington City Paper reports that the police report about the crime says that the suspect “thrust[ed] several times” against the woman before she screamed and he ran out of her house.

The e-mail, sent by Lieutenant Kim Gregory, said that an unknown suspect entered the victim’s house, the victim woke up to find him “cuddling her” in her bed, and then the victim screamed and the suspect ran out the back door of her house.

Cherkis pointed out that the extent of the suspect’s crime calls the perp’s nickname into question once again. The “Cuddler,” which MPD officers have said may be several suspects, digitally penetrated one of his victims and put his penis on the thigh of another victim.

Of course, whether inappropriate or not, nearly every news outlet that has reported on this incident has used the “Cuddler” moniker. But how do we make the switch to the “Georgetown Sexual Assailant”?

A “burglary with sexual overtones” took place early this morning on the 3800 block of Calvert Street, NW. The incident is similar to the many sexual crimes perpetrated by the suspect known as the “Georgetown Cuddler.”

According to an e-mail that Lieutenant Kim Gregory of the Second District Metropolitan Police Department sent this morning, an unknown suspect entered the victim’s house between 4:30 a.m. 6:00 a.m., and the victim woke up to find him “cuddling her” in her bed.

The victim screamed and the suspect ran out the back door of her house. She was not harmed and nothing was taken from her house.

The victim described the suspect as male with short hair, and MPD is investigating the crime.

With so many sexual assaults occurring in the Georgetown neighborhood in the last year and a half—including two in one week at the beginning of the school year—the University is not the only one finally acknowledging the serious issue of sexual assault on campus.

Since most of these attacks seem to follow the modus operandi of the infamous “Georgetown Cuddler,” local and national news networks and bloggers have flocked to the issue, either to report on the attacks or challenge the affectionate title of “Cuddler.”

In case the Voice‘s reporting hasn’t been enough for you, Vox has compiled a roundup of outside coverage of the crimes.

The Washington Post grappled with the issue of the wide range of descriptions victims have given for their attacker, but also observed that, despite the seriousness of some of the attacks, there doesn’t seem to be widespread fear in the campus community.

Local blog DCist took issue with both the softhearted nickname of “Cuddler” as well as the University’s lackluster response to the issue, particularly the initial characterization of the August 30 attack as a burglary.

Top women’s rights blog Feministing took the “Cuddler” issue very seriously, pointing out that using cute nicknames for a sex offender “excuses the attacker, dismisses violence as acceptable, and condescends to survivors.”

More coverage after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

After more than a dozen similar sexual assaults on and around campus over the past year and a half (including two this past week), the Georgetown administration has finally sent out a message about the issue to the campus community.

This evening, Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson and Vice President of University Safety Rocco DelMonaco sent out a broadcast e-mail about the incidents:

It is important to remember that those who perpetrate assaults are responsible for the harm they do. Descriptions that refer to some suspects as a “cuddler” detract from the serious nature of these incidents. We are committed to working with MPD to prevent crime, apprehend suspects, and enhance the safety and security of our campus community …

Working together we can prevent crime and help to keep our campus safe. Caring for one another is central to the Jesuit mission to be Women and Men for Others, and to care for one another and our campus community. Please join us in raising awareness and taking steps to address this set of issues.

I’ve complained about the administration’s relative silence about sexual assault issues in the past. When asked by the Voice on Tuesday about why the administration hasn’t been more vocal about sexual assaults, University President John DeGioia said, “right now the kinds of interventions that we have we think are proportionate to that kind of activity and this kind of concern.”

It’s nice to see the University finally explicitly address this problem, though—better late than never, after all.

Read the full broadcast e-mail after the jump…

Read the rest of this entry »

The Voice has obtained the Metropolitan Police Department’s report about this morning’s sexual assault in Village A.  Although Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety’s Public Safety Alert only stated that the suspect climbed into bed with the victim and “began sexually assaulting her,” MPD’s report clarifies that the incident involved digital penetration.

According the MPD report:

Complainant 1 reports that after falling asleep by herself, she awoke to Suspect 1 sexually assaulting her with digital penetration in her bed. Suspect 1 possibly gained access to the apartment through a front window. Complainant 1 stated that to her knowledge, no property was taken by Suspect 1.

The incident was classified by MPD primarily as a burglary and secondarily as sexual abuse, second degree.  According to the report, there were signs of forced entry.  The suspect is described as male, between 5’10″ and 6’0″ with a slight beard.  The suspect’s race, ethnicity, build, eye and hair color were unknown.

According to WTOP, MPD doesn’t know if one person or multiple people are responsible for the so-called “Cuddler” incidents.

When asked about the “Cuddler” moniker, MPD 2nd District Commander Matt Klein told WTOP, “You cuddle someone you love. We’re looking for a criminal.”

Reporting by Voice News Editor Eric Pilch

View Suspected “Georgetown Cuddler” incidents in a larger map

A student was sexually assaulted in her Village A apartment early this morning, according to a Public Safety Alert sent out by Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety.

This is the second reported sexual assault in three days; both incidents bear a strong resemblance to previous “Georgetown Cuddler” crimes. This is the second possible “Cuddler” incident that has reportedly occurred on campus (the previous incident occurred on September 25, 2008 in Village A).

According to the PSA:

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, at approximately 4:20 a.m., an unidentified male entered the residence of a student in Village A through a ground floor window. The suspect began to sexually assault the victim, whereupon the victim screamed and the suspect left the residence.

On Tuesday, September 1, 2009, at approximately 4:20 a.m., an unidentified male entered the residence of a student in Village A through a ground floor window. The suspect climbed into the bed of the complainant while she slept. The suspect began to sexually assault the complainant, whereupon she screamed and the suspect left the residence through the front door, fleeing in an unknown direction.

The complainant immediately notified DPS. Both DPS and MPD responded to the scene. DPS is cooperating with MPD’s investigation.

The Voice is continuing reporting on both assaults and will post updates as we find out more.

View Suspected “Georgetown Cuddler” incidents in a larger map
In an incident strongly resembling past “Georgetown Cuddler” crimes, a student was sexually assaulted in her residence on the 1200 block of 33rd Street this morning, according to a Public Safety Alert sent out by Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety.

According to the PSA:

On Sunday, August 30, 2009 at approximately 6:30 a.m., an unidentified male entered a student’s residence in the 1200 Block of 33rd Street, NW, and lay down on the couch with her. The complainant was startled awake, at which time she told the suspect to leave, which he subsequently did.

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 30, 2009, an unidentified male entered the residence of a student through an unlocked front door. The suspect lay down on the couch with the complainant. The complainant was startled awake and told the suspect to leave. The suspect subsequently left the residence, heading north on 33rd Street, then west on Prospect Street.

The complainant contacted MPD who responded to the scene. MPD notified DPS of the incident at approximately 8:00 a.m.

The Voice will let you know when we have more information about the incident.

View Suspected “Georgetown Cuddler” incidents in a larger map

Vox just obtained the Metropolitan Police Department’s report about the suspected “Cuddler” incident that occurred between 5 and 6 a.m. the morning of Saturday, July 25th at a house on the 1800 block of 35th Street.

According to the report:

[Complainant 1] was in her bed when an unknown subject entered her room, disrobed from the waist down, leaving his shoes on and climbed into the bed with her ad hugged her. C-1 never look at [Subject 1] because she assumed that it was her male friend that frequents her home.

C-1 did not realize until an hour or so later that S-1 was not a friend of hers when he attempted to touch C-1 while climbing on top of her placing his penis on her inner thigh. C-1 further states that her male friend is gay so once S-1 started to touch her she instantly knew that it was not her friend in the bed with her.

C-1 then rolled out from under S-1 and ran into the hallway where S-1 confronted her and asked C-1 “what’s the problem?” C-1 then ran down the stairs where the other house guest were to alert them. At which time S-1 vacated the premises in an unknown manner. C-1 and house guests then searched the home to make sure that S-1 was gone.

The MPD report classifies the incident primarily as a burglary and secondarily as “sexual abuse, misdemeanor.” The report states that there was no forced entry and the point of entry, method and tools used are unknown. The case is open for investigation, according to the report.

According to Georgetown’s Director of Media Relations Andy Pino, the incident has not been reported to the University’s Department of Public Safety.

We have updated our map of possible “Cuddler” incidents (above) to include this latest alleged attack.

More information from MPD after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »