Tad Cummins, Elizabeth Thomas Kidnapping: Cummins' Lawyer Says 15-Year-Old Willingly Went With Teacher
As 50-year-old schoolteacher Tad Cummins faces charges in Nashville, Tennesee, his lawyer Ben Galloway tells a different story from the prosecution. Galloway argued that since there has been no force or threats involved, Cummins' case is not abduction, unlike what has been alleged.
The former teacher is currently accused of kidnapping his 15-year-old student across borderlines, and his case involved sexual abuse as well, according to Reuters. The abduction sparked a manhunt across the country until the pair were eventually found in California.
A United States Magistrate Judge has just ordered the teacher to be held in federal custody. The Judge also designated Cummins as a danger to others and a flight risk, and he due to be returned to Tennesee to face a court trial.
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Galloway suggested that Thomas was a willing companion of the 50-year-old teacher. He claimed that this detail is enough to demonstrate that no kidnapping took place.
In Galloway's email to Reuters, the attorney noted that "It is important to note that these allegations do not involve force, threats, or coercion of any sort," as prosecutors noted how the former teacher bought KY Jelly, a lubricant used for sex.
Cummins also refilled a prescription for Cialis, a drug used to restore erectile function for men. Prosecutors pointed this out to show that the teacher intended to have sex with the juvenile student, as Cummins and his lawyer skipped entering a plea in the hearing.
Galloway also noted that "This was not an abduction or kidnapping as has been suggested," in his email, even as authorities say he avoided capture by changing license plates and disabling the Global Positioning System of the vehicle he stole from his wife.
The lawyer for the accused also added that Cummins "looks forward to returning to Tennessee as soon as possible to answer the charges against him," according to MSN.
Galloway did not mention if he also looks forward to the trial that centers around Cummins violating "a sacred position of public trust as a school teacher," according to prosecutors.
