Victims testify of alleged abuse at Topeka prison

One of Tomas Co's accusers testified Tuesday that she didn't expect to feel flesh when, at his invitation, she put her hand inside his pants pocket.

The woman is among six alleged victims who worked in the Topeka Correctional Facility's dental lab, which Co supervised for five years. The denture-making program was considered one of the best jobs an inmate could get at the state-run prison.

She longed to get out of prison early. After realizing Co had removed the pockets from his pants, the woman said she continued to rub his penis until ejaculation.

"He promised me all kinds of things about getting me an attorney, so I just went with it," she said.

Co faces six felony charges of unlawful sexual relations with an inmate. The second day of trial in Shawnee County District Court included testimony from several alleged victims who outlined grim details of their experiences with Co.

Defense attorney Chris Joseph questioned the woman about why she felt compelled to reach into Co's pockets, and the victim accepted blame for her role in the encounter.

"You can't just say no to this?" Joseph asked.

"Well, I fed into it, I agree," she said. "I felt like if I just did whatever he said, he would help me out."

Joseph turned his pants pockets inside out as he re-enacted the sexual encounter in the courtroom. Bending down to demonstrate, Joseph wondered why the woman didn't see flesh where Co's pockets were missing.

"I don't know how he cut them out," she said. "I didn't ask him."

Fearing she would be kicked out of class, like others who had complained about Co's behavior, the woman chose not to tell anybody what happened until confronted by an investigator shortly before Co was fired.

When she stepped down from the witness stand, her audible exhale in the tense moment was met with laughter by several jurors.

Another woman testified about Co licking her ear and making inappropriate comments while she worked in the lab.

Co told dirty jokes, she said, and sometimes brought food for inmates in violation of prison rules. She felt uncomfortable around Co and formed a "buddy system" with a fellow student.

"He said he was jealous of my kids because he wished he could be where they had been," she said, which she took to mean "down there."

He wrote her a note, which was displayed for the jury, saying he looked forward to spending Thanksgiving with her, signed with a drawing of a red heart.

Her work station was positioned against the wall, directly below and out of sight of a surveillance camera.

In late October 2018, Co approached her like he was going to tell a joke. He rubbed her back, leaned in and pressed his tongue to her ear.

"As he walked away, he said, 'That's funny, huh?' like he'd told a joke," she said.

The woman felt mad and "grossed out" by the incident, which she reported. She also switched seats so she could remain in view of the camera.

Joseph played video recorded on the camera less than two weeks later. The video showed her calling Co over to inspect her work on a set of dentures. They talked for a couple of minutes without any indication of discomfort.

The trial is expected to last four days.