A former Lakeview Middle School band director charged with sexual contact with some of his female students on Friday afternoon was found guilty of five charges and not guilty of seven others.
Thomas Blevins was ruled not guilty on one count of aggravated child molestation and false imprisonment, but guilty on one count of enticing a child for indecent purposes and guilty on four counts of child molestation. Those cases involved testimony by one former student involving incidents in 2013.
He was found not guilty related to testimony involving another alleged victim from 2014.
Blevins is facing 5-20 years for the molestation charges and 10-30 years on enticing. The judge will decide whether the sentences will be consecutive or concurrent.
Sentencing is tentatively planned for Wednesday.
Blevins was taken directly to jail after the verdicts.
The jury at Ringgold deliberated for two and a half hours.
In closing arguments, District Attorney Buzz Franklin said, “Everything points to this man being a pervert.”
Blevins is charged with a number of sexual crimes related to allegations that he sexually assaulted multiple students at Lakeview Middle School and Lakeview High School while he was employed as a band director there.
One of the prosecution’s key witnesses testified that Blevins took her into a lightless storage room before forcing her to perform a sex act on him. Nine girls testified that Blevins had inappropriate physical, verbal, and online communication with them or other female students.
Mr. Franklin said that the real culprits of child molestation are individuals who, “like the defendant, have a pleasant demeanor and who say they want to ‘get down to the kids’ level.’”
He said, “That’s the man who will molest your children.”
He also repeatedly cited Blevins’ extensive texting and calling to some of the alleged victims, one of whom he had 5,231 texts and phone calls with over two years. Mr. Franklin pointed out that the defendant’s phone had more contact with that student than it did with Blevins’ wife.
In the closing argument for the defense, attorney Chris Townley said the contact between Blevins and the main accuser is a direct contradiction of her previous assertion that she had no contact with Blevins after the alleged assault.
He said about the phone records submitted for evidence, “There are pages and pages of her texting him.”
He went on, “Is this somebody who was assaulted? Or is it a young lady with lots and lots of problems.”
The defense also implied that elements of this case were similar to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
Mr. Townley said, “Teenagers lie for lots and lots of reasons. They’ll say crazy things and, when they’re caught red-handed, instead of backing down when you challenge them, they’ll up the stakes.”