Elizabeth Thomas and Tad Cummins News: Ex-Teacher Could Get Minimum of 10 Years Jail Time
Tennessee teacher Tad Cummins could be sentenced to at least 10 years of imprisonment after running away with his 15-year-old student, Elizabeth Thomas.
Cummins and Thomas are teacher and student, respectively, at the Culleoka Unit School in Maury County.
According to AL.com, federal court records show Cummins has been indicted by the grand jury for transporting a minor with the intention of performing sexual activities with the victim. He has also been charged with "destructing, altering or falsifying records in federal investigations." Cummins reportedly destroyed mobile phones to alter the evidence in the ongoing investigation against him.
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With all the charges combined, AL.com reports Cummins could face up to 20 years of jail time in a federal prison. The 50-year-old man could also be charged with a $500,000-worth of fines.
Meanwhile, in a report from the Daily Mail, it is believed that Cummins' charges could land him at least 10 years in jail.
Cummins and Thomas were missing for about five weeks until the ex-teacher was arrested last April 21.
The two have been reportedly missing since March 13, shortly after Cummins was suspended from his teaching duties due to other students' reports that he was seen making out with Thomas in a classroom.
The authorities became more alarmed after it was reported that Cummins left a note for his wife explaining why he left and that she does not need to call the police. However, Cummins did not mention anything about Thomas in the letter.
According to reports, Cummins deliberately carried out several measures to keep the authorities from finding him and Thomas. There were security camera footages where the two apparently dyed their hair following a widespread manhunt.
However, the groundskeeper of the place where Cummins and Thomas were staying called the police. The authorities were then able to find the two hiding in a cabin.
Meanwhile, the Thomas family lawyer, Jason Whatley, dismissed insinuations that Thomas ran away with Cummins voluntarily.
Whatley told PEOPLE: "This is classic grooming and manipulation. And I predict this case will be studied years in the future about how authority figures like Tad Cummins can mess up young children who believe their lies and are manipulated into doing things they would never do."
