Sept. 10 trial set in sex-abuse case against ex-Hamilton football player
Uriel J. Garcia
A jury trial has been scheduled for Sept. 10 in the case against Nathaniel Thomas, a former Hamilton High School football player accused of physically and sexually attacking some of his teammates.
On Monday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Danielle Viola placed the trial on the calendar.
Previously, it appeared the case would be settled without a trial. Hearings to discuss a potential plea deal between the prosecuting attorney and defense lawyer, Cindy Castillo, have been scheduled in the past year. An upcoming settlement conference still is scheduled for June 1.
Castillo declined to comment further. Amanda Jacinto, a Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokeswoman, said, "No decision has been made on altering the dates at this time."
The case against Thomas intensified in February when Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said his office wouldn't file charges against former Principal Ken James, former Athletic Director Shawn Rustad and former head football coach Steve Belles.
Montgomery said not enough victims came forward to make a strong case against school administrators.
Chandler police, who investigated the case, had recommended to the county attorney that James, Rustad and Belles be charged with child abuse and failing to report the reported sexual abuse and assault of five players by fellow teammates in a hazing initiation. Police alleged the three school officials knew about reported incidents but chose to handle the matter in-house, rather than report the alleged criminal acts to police.
Thomas is charged with nine counts, including aggravated assault, sexual assault, kidnapping and child molestation. He was 17 when police arrested him in 2017, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office charged him as an adult.
Two other former players, both 16-year-old students when they were arrested last year, were charged as juveniles. Their cases have been adjudicated but the outcome and others details have been sealed from public view.
Thomas' mother, who wore a white T-shirt reading "Justice for Nate" while in court Monday, has said her son is innocent and has publicly questioned the Chandler Unified School District governing board about why school officials didn't support her son the same way they supported the three school administrators.
The trial date also comes after attorney Daniel Raynak filed a federal lawsuit last week on behalf of five former Hamilton students who say they were sexually assaulted by football teammates and that their coaches knew about it and didn't report it to police.
The lawsuit alleges that James, Rustad and Belles conspired to not contact police about the sexual abuse reports that came to their attention, did nothing to stop further abuse, didn't punish the abusers and didn't protect the victims.
The lawsuit also names Rustad's and Belles' wives; former assistant coach Manuel Palomarez and his wife; the Chandler Unified School District and Hamilton High School.
Among the claims the lawsuit makes is that Palomarez, who teaches at Hamilton High School, "admitted to law enforcement that he was aware of allegations of sexual attacks of the type described above by members of his football team as early as May 2016."
It also says Belles "told his players not to 'do sexual things to each other.'”
Reach the reporter at uriel.garcia@azcentral.com or on Twitter: @ujohnnyg.
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