Trial begins in Adrian child sex abuse case
ADRIAN — An Adrian man on trial in Lenawee County Circuit Court heard his stepdaughter describes acts of sexual and physical abuse before one of his daughters refuted the claims as the proceedings began Tuesday.
Douglas Henry Thoms, 57, is charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and single counts of child abuse and indecent exposure. The molestation and abuse is alleged to have happened when his stepdaughter, who is now 23, was between the ages of 5 and 12 or 13. She reported the allegations to Adrian police in the fall of 2021.
Thoms' attorney, Samuel J. Bernstein of Ann Arbor, said in his opening statement that the allegations came about from the stepdaughters' relationship with her mother-in-law.
Some of the molestation was alleged to have been done under the guise of "flea checks" in the family's insect-infested homes on Adrian's south side, and an incident of alleged physical abuse involving a machete was described by the stepdaughter as happening during one of the religious rituals that regularly took place at their homes.
Thoms and his wife — who is the stepdaughter's mother — and others in a group called Between the Waters practice a form a religion that witnesses described as wiccan, pagan or voodoo. They would have rituals in the backyards of their homes where the participants would wear cloaks. Some rituals would be for the families, while others would be just for adults and would end with everyone sitting around a campfire, drinking alcoholic beverages. The rituals became less frequent and involved fewer people over time.
During one ritual when she was about 12, the stepdaughter said, Thoms was "possessed by a spirit" and came up to her in the kitchen, grabbed the collar of the sweatshirt she was wearing and put a machete to her neck. Thoms shook his head as she described the incident.
Sometimes, the stepdaughter said, during rituals Thoms would walk around while clashing two machetes together to the rhythm of music that was playing.
She also described another incident unrelated to the rituals where Thoms became upset with her and grabbed her by her hair and shook her so hard that her nose bled. Another time, she said, he pulled her by the hair across a room.
The stepdaughter became emotional at times as she described incidents of sexual molestation. One happened when she was 5, she said, and he used some kind of oil and inserted a finger into her. She described it stinging from the oil and because he had long fingernails that cut her. Another incident involved a sex toy that he rubbed on her body. She also describe an incident where she said Thoms exposed himself to her.
Detective LaMar Rufner of the Adrian Police Department testified that Thoms told him the exposure was accidental and that he had caught his stepdaughter using the sex toy. He said they were able to have frank conversations about sex.
Another form of sexual abuse the stepdaughter described were "flea checks," where she was made to disrobe and Thoms would run his fingers over her breasts, thighs and buttocks. These happened as many as 50 times, she told the court. She and Thoms' daughter, Alisha Thoms, said they had problems with fleas or bed bugs in both of their homes in Adrian from their cats bringing the insects indoors. Alisha Thoms testified that the stepdaughter at that younger age would scratch the bug bites until they bled and became scabs, and she and the other older siblings would alert their parents to the bites so they could treat them. The stepdaughter said her mother would give her hydrocortisone spray. She also said she eventually told her mother she thought it was weird that she had to take her clothes off during the flea checks.
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After she complained about doing the unclothed flea checks, she said it appeared Thoms and her mother had a conversation in another room. The flea checks stopped after that.
The stepdaughter said she was afraid of Thoms, who would scream at her and throw things. She said one time he threw one of their cats against a couch. However, she said she had a good relationship with Thoms outside of the abuse she described.
When she was in high school, the stepdaughter testified, she spent more and more time at her best friend's home, eventually moving in when she was a senior. She said it didn't seem like anyone in her family cared that she had moved out. She said she confided in her friend's mother about the abuse she said happened, though not in detail. She eventually married her friend, though she said it wasn't a romantic relationship, and started seeing a counselor. After she went to college, she started seeing a new counselor who diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Alisha Thoms defended her father, saying he could never do the things he was accused of and was a great father and grandfather. She said the only physical discipline she recalled the stepdaughter receiving was being spanked once for lying.
The stepdaughter's mother-in-law, Stella Shananaquet, also testified about their relationship. She said she had known the stepdaughter for several years and described her as quiet and timid. She said she encouraged her to see a counselor. She said she had few interactions with Thoms and the stepdaughter's mother, Karen Thoms.
Testimony continued Wednesday.
— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Trial begins in Adrian child sex abuse case
