St. Paul fire inspector charged with kidnapping, attempted sexual assault of 13-year-old

A St. Paul fire inspector is charged with kidnapping and child solicitation after allegedly trying to sexually assault a 13-year-old who needed a ride to school.

James Allen Thomas, 73, of Woodbury, is accused of picking up a middle school girl who had missed the bus and was walking to school in late May. He allegedly took her to his apartment where he tried to assault her and offered her money for sex.

Thomas is facing felony charges of kidnapping, attempted criminal sexual conduct and solicitation of a child, according to documents filed in Ramsey County District Court on Friday. He is due in court for a first appearance at 9 a.m. Monday.

A city spokesperson on Sunday said Thomas is a fire safety inspector for St. Paul’s Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI).

The middle schooler told police she was walking on Phalen Boulevard in the rain to try to get to school when she stopped at a medical clinic for help. Near the entrance, she said Thomas was sitting in an SUV and asked if she needed assistance.

Noticing the man’s uniform and radio, the girl said she thought he was a security officer, so she accepted a ride to school. She told police Thomas drove her to his apartment instead.

According to court documents, Thomas tried to force the girl to perform sexual acts. She refused. He allegedly offered her $50 to take her clothes off and let him touch her.

Thomas allegedly grabbed the child’s iPad and asked if she had her location on. She told police he eventually drove her to school, while asking her questions about sex and her home address.

A school staffer told police that when the girl arrived at school, she was shaking and visibly upset. The school employee said the driver of the vehicle that dropped the student off exited his car and introduced himself as working for the St. Paul Fire Department.

Surveillance footage showed Thomas’ vehicle in the clinic parking lot, the girl getting into his SUV, as well as the vehicle pulling into the middle school parking lot, according to the charging document.

In an interview with St. Paul police, Thomas denied touching or soliciting the girl.

Thomas told officers he took the girl to school, saying he accidentally first took her to an elementary building then to the middle school. Thomas later told police, according to the charging document, that he stopped by his apartment first because he needed to lock it, but that the girl never got out of the vehicle.

Police said surveillance video and cell phone data shows it took 45 minutes for Thomas to travel 6 ½ miles, but said Thomas denied that. He also denied shutting off both of his cell phones after leaving the clinic parking lot, police said.