Former High School Basketball Coach Accused of Molesting Boys During Nude 'Fat Testing' Goes to Trial

A former Rhode Island high school basketball coach went on trial Tuesday for accusations he molested teenage boys during “fat tests” conducted while they were naked.

Aaron Thomas, 57, once the celebrated basketball coach at North Kingstown High School, is charged with second degree child molestation and second degree sexual assault in incidents prosecutors say took place nearly 20 years apart, but were remarkably similar in nature.

The allegations center around Thomas’ regimen of so-called “fat testing” on his students.

North Kingstown Police Detective Christopher Mulligan swore in an affidavit that he had interviewed more than 30 former students at the school who attested that Thomas touched them inappropriately during fat testing, which would allegedly typically occur in a small closet near the gymnasium.

It was “widely understood” that Thomas would first ask students if they were “shy or not shy,” and if they answered that they weren’t, they were asked to remove all their clothes. Students told WPRI-TV in 2022 that he would then use a tool to measure their upper thighs.

The criminal charges against Thomas center on two specific students who allege the coach groped them. The first, known only as Ben, said the tests began when he was 13 years old in 2001 and continued until his junior year. In one instance, he alleged Thomas touched his perineum for several minutes.

Thomas was still allegedly at it two decades later when the other complainant, Charles, alleged he was invasively fat tested during his time at the school from 2017 to 2020.

Charles alleged the abuse occurred even after the school district purchased a machine for fat testing after another student complained about the system, per the affidavit.

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At the time, Thomas had students undertake a “puberty test,” Charles alleged. On one occasion, according to the affidavit, the coach allegedly instructed a naked Charles to sit against a wall and spread his legs, completely exposing his genitalia, at which point Thomas allegedly pressed his finger into his inner thigh and scrotum. Charles claimed in the affidavit that Thomas appeared to get an erection from this.

Thomas allegedly never told students why they had to disrobe; students felt pressured to take the test for fear they wouldn’t get any playing time on the court, per the affidavit.

Thomas allegedly had parents sign a “consent form” authorizing the tests, which investigators concluded lacked “several important pieces of information.”

Per Mulligan’s affidavit, Thomas denied that he had molested Ben or assaulted Charles, because there was no indication of sexual arousal or gratification, nor was there any “sexual talk” or “overtones.” Judge Melanie Wilk Thunberg denied Thomas’ motion to dismiss and allowed the case to go to trial, which began Tuesday, April 1.

Thomas also denied that the students were naked during the tests in an interview with Mulligan, per the affidavit.

Thomas has pleaded not guilty to the charges, The Boston Globe reports. His attorney, John MacDonald, did not immediately return an inquiry from PEOPLE.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.