KINGMAN, Ariz. – A convicted sex offender residing in Bullhead City waffled at his July 23 change of plea hearing in an elder abuse case. Lashley Thomas, 75, is charged with the abuse of a vulnerable adult for the Jan. 5 incident involving his mother.
Deputy Mohave County Attorney Jeremy Braunstein detailed the alleged crime during a July 23 hearing in Kingman. Braunstein said the defendant’s mother resisted when an assisting nurse tried to help her bathe at a residence in the 3800 block of King Road.
The prosecutor said Thomas intervened and used excessive force to attempt to remove the woman’s clothes for the bath. He informed Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle that the victim has since died, unrelated to the bathing incident.
Carlisle refused to accept the plea agreement when Thomas disputed the factual basis outlined by Braunstein. The case can still be resolved by plea deal or be scheduled for trial.
A status hearing is set Aug. 24.
The Bullhead City Police Department in May issued community notice that Lashley is a level 3 sex offender, convicted of crimes against children in California.
