Former lieutenant at prison admits to sex with inmate, exposing self to coworker

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·2 min read

Apr. 16—A former lieutenant at the state women's prison in Cambridge Springs has admitted to having sexual contact with an inmate and exposing himself to a female coworker nearly two years ago.

Nicholas D. Thompson pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas to one felony count of institutional sexual assault, four misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure, and one misdemeanor count of indecent assault. He faces up to a total of 20 years in prison and $45,000 in fines when he is sentenced later this year.

Thompson, 41, of Albion, was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police in July 2020 for separate assaults in 2019 on an inmate at the women's prison as well as a female coworker.

Thompson was employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections from Aug. 2, 2004, until Oct. 8, 2019. He was a lieutenant at the time he left the department, according to a spokeswoman.

Thompson pleaded guilty Thursday to institutional sexual assault for sexual contact with an inmate on March 31, 2019.

He also pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent exposure for exposing himself to a female coworker both in a security office at the prison and in a prison parking lot, and one count of indecent assault for forcibly kissing the female coworker. He admitted those incidents took place in May 2019.

Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced after July 15 on a date to be determined. The sentencing will take place after an assessment by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board within the next 90 days.

The assessment is to see if Thompson should be classified as a sexually violent predator. As part of his plea deal, the Crawford County District Attorney's Office won't seek a formal court hearing on classification following completion of the assessment.

However, Thompson will be classified as a Tier II sexual offender, requiring he register as a sexual offender for 25 years following completion of his prison sentence.

He faces up to seven years on the institutional sexual assault charge, up to two years on each of the indecent exposure counts, and up to five years on the indecent assault charge.

Thompson remains free on $25,000 unsecured bond.

Keith Gushard can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.