Thomas Jefferson, 43, was part of a crew subcontracted by Verizon installing cable in a subdivision in Glen Allen, VA, when police say he went to a house where a 13 year old girl was home alone and asked for a drink of water. NBC12 says that after he asked for the water he “touched the girl in her private areas.”
“We hope that parents will talk with their kids and remind them to never let a stranger in your house,” says Henrico Police Lt. Doug Perry. “Either act like you’re not there or say your mom and dad are in the bathroom or whatever, to make them think that a parent is present.”
Jefferson is a registered sex offender who was convicted of rape 1984.
Please remember to always ask for ID and never let strangers into your home when you are alone. Even if they really work for the cable company.
UPDATE: This guy works for Double J Communications, which was working for a subcontractor to S&N Communications, which in turn was working on contract with Verizon. Verizon has asked S&N to terminate the contract with Double J.
Cable worker charged for allegedly touching girl in Henrico
[NBC12]
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Hmm, maybe registered sex offenders shouldn’t be hired for work that involves going to customer homes?
President Thomas Jefferson?
Sick.
no, one of his great great great grandkids, apple not falling too far from the tree nowadays huh?
They’re working hard to become the worst company in America.
Where’s Chris Hansen when we need him. This will be a new series. To Catch a Installer.
He was convicted of rape of a minor. The real criminals are the scum in our legal system who let him out of prison.
@Oface: They want it. They want it bad.
@testsicles: Yeah, how on Earth can a company be so negligent as to allow a convicted sex offender to be entering people’s homes? Incredible.
@AtomicPlayboy:
It probably didn’t start out that way. Probably just started as a guy looking for a job and got promoted his way to technician. Once you get hired, companies rarely do any more checking.
Did they background check before hiring? Or do they even care?
This is so disgusting. I will absolutely never use Comcast in my life. Totally inconsiderate of their customers, and this is on a whole new level. I thought that the kitten thing was appalling, but this is someone who they had access to background information of. It is irresponsible and ugh! I’m so sick.
@linus: It shouldn’t matter. Even if he got promoted up they should have known that he was a sex offender. And if he were to have been promoted they should have checked again.
Apparently they didn’t or just don’t care. And that makes them a really horrible company. I hope there are major charges in order here. Against the offender and the company for negligence.
I’m sure they’re taking this complaint seriously.
The article in question does not mention Comcast name, it just says cable company. Thew news report shown localy showed the bastards truck and it wasn’t a Comcast truck.
Maybe someone should check the facts before posting an allegation like this.
I’m sensing a whole new Power Point presentation just over the horizon.
@imaLttlGrl: You have to remember that Comcast didn’t hire this person. They hired a subcontractor to do their field work. It is the job of this subcontractor. And remember there aren’t many actual laws that prohibit the hiring of sex offenders.
@sir_pantsalot: Yeah, we should have left him in prison so we could pay for room and board for a convicted rapist, as well as entertainment, education, and all the man-love he could ever want. People like this should be the primary impetus for deportation.
Wow, just wow. Maybe the parents will bring a lawsuit for gross negligence against Comcast and make Comcast start thinking twice about the people they hire who may interact with the public. I’m not saying ex-cons should not be hired anywhere; I’m saying registered sex offenders prolly shouldn’t be hired in a capacity that they have face to face contact with customers in a professional capacity.
Haha, my hometown. I don’t doubt that Comcast hires sketchy people. By the way, did you all know that Glen Allen, VA is home to our favorite money hemmorhaging, big box electronics store, Circuit City? Hahahah.
@satoru: You have to remember that Comcast didn’t hire this person. They hired a subcontractor to do their field work. It is the job of this subcontractor. And remember there aren’t many actual laws that prohibit the hiring of sex offenders.
Do you know for certain that he was hired by a subcontractor? The article doesn’t say that.
We should also try to not jump to conclusions; he hasn’t been found guilty of the charge (yet).
Wow, late time with the kitten kickers I was saying that you can’t blame Comcast, but in this case I feel Comcast has some share of responsibility. Why would they put a registered sex offender in a position to be in people’s houses. Although, they do always ask you to make sure there’s an adult present, I wonder where that person was.
Oh I see, he was just doing work in the area. I reed gud!
But, did he use their toilet to go #2?
Why was he out in the first place?
I think that ID requirement is stupid for a company employee who shows up with a company logo on his truck and wearing a shirt with the same logo.
Contractors I agree, since they always show up in personal vehicles.
I don’t remember… what’s the legal age for a kid to be home alone again?
I’m guessing he wasn’t offered a glass of water and a tip
Wait, is this definitely Comcast-related? The article just said he had a job “laying cable” that’s not necessarily the same thing as working for Comcast.
COMCASTIC
This article says he worked for Double Jay communications, which had a subcontract with Verizon, not Comcast.
[www.wtvr.com]
The fact that he works for Comcast is a red herring. He could have had any job in the world and he would have still asked to go inside for a drink and molest a child.
I would feel otherwise if his job at Comcast gave him access to a home that would otherwise not be accessible.
Beyond that, he wasn’t even in the home that he was sent to by Comcast – this was just some home.
you should probably take Comcast out of this title, unless you wann a get sued.
@testsicles: Read the very first sentence in the OP: Thomas Jefferson, 43, was part of a Comcast crew installing cable
@testsicles: Well never mind then. Perhaps a Consumerist error!
@IrisMR:
There is no such legal age. It’s up to the parent’s discretion.
@MissPeacock: That’s what I’m saying, I think someone assumed it was Comcast because of the word “cable” but it’s actually Verizon and it should really be changed because that’s a pretty bad mistake.
Typical Consumerist commenter comment: It was the 13 yr olds fault. She had “Porn Star” written on the back of her sweats.
@ClayS: Not entirely, you can’t leave a 4-year old home alone.
@phelander: He was just trying to remove the lettering from her sweats!
What a fucking piece of shit. Die die die.
@heavylee-again: Wow, just wow. Maybe the parents will bring a lawsuit for gross negligence against Comcast Verizon and make Comcast Verizon start thinking twice about the people they hire who may interact with the public. I’m not saying ex-cons should not be hired anywhere; I’m saying registered sex offenders prolly shouldn’t be hired in a capacity that they have face to face contact with customers in a professional capacity.
/FTFM
The actual story doesn’t say comcast, it says cable company.
For those of you saying “why did they hire him?”. He could’ve lied on his application or otherwise concealed his sex offender conviction from them.
@revmatty: right, it’s a mistake, the guy was actually a subcontractor for Verizon.
@dragonfire1481: could have, but the company said they didn’t do background checks but will from now on.
Here in Arkansas even kids 8 years old can be left home alone. I had to call the 1-800 child abuse hotline number quite a few times last year trying to report my alcoholic neighbor who was leaving her children 8 & 10 home alone, sometimes all night with their 11 year old sister, but sometimes even the 8 year old would be alone for 9 hours at a time after school. I took her into my home alot but couldn’t keep her all the time. The people at the hotline told me that as long as the child didn’t hurt herself there was no law against it and nothing they could do. I even went up twice to report it to the child neglect people at the DHS office but they never did anything either.
@SkyeBlue: An 8 year old home during the day? Why wasn’t she at work?
or just keep a gun in the house
@IrisMR: Legal age is 13 years old, at 12 the state still thinks you should have a babysitter.
@SkyeBlue: In Kansas the age is 12. And at the age of 12 any sibling under that age can be left alone with them. Kind of scary that they allow 8 years old though. Wow.
@satoru:
And a good thing for that.
Felons and SOs need to be able to get jobs to keep busy and living to where they’re not leeching off the state and using ample amounts of free time trolling where they’re not supposed to be. And I’m not talking about retarded hot zones like schools and day care centers. The minimal legislation on this, the better. Just keep them surrounded by people and away from kids as best as possible. A job should not trump the law, and should just the same not be the basis for not hiring someone. School and day-care related jobs notwithstanding.
What I want to know is, whenever I send out delivery people at my current job, or whenever we sent out technicians at the computer repair place I used to own, we’d always always always send people in twos. Accountability. Where was this guy’s partner? It’s a given that Jefferson will lose his job, but anyone that should’ve been accompanying him and did not put themselves in a position to protect or report should be fired.
@ClayS: Most states have minimum ages for how old a child has to be to be home alone. otherwise it’s child endangerment and Child Protective Services may get involved. I think CA’s is about 12 or 13, but I can’t remember.