CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A 60-year-old Chesterfield man who worked as a correctional officer was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl held at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center, according to Chesterfield police.
Cedric Thomas, who was responsible for the security and supervision of juveniles, was formally charged with three counts of indecent liberties with a child by a custodian and one count of object sexual penetration.
The alleged assaults happened in May 2024.
The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), the state agency that manages the facility, said the allegations were reported to them "weeks later," but did not give an exact date.
Chesterfield Police said DJJ reported the offenses to police on June 28, 2024.
Ten months later, on March 17, 2025, a Chesterfield County grand jury issued indictments for Thomas.
Thomas was later arrested and jailed without bond.
Additional details about the alleged crimes have not yet been released, and they were not immediately available in court.
Court records revealed that Thomas retired from DJJ, but it's not clear when. DJJ said his retirement was approved by the state after he was placed on predisciplinary leave and before the conclusion of DJJ's internal investigation.
According to state code, retirement benefits could be revoked if state employees are convicted of felonies related to their employment.
"Based on the investigation, detectives believe Thomas may have additional victims in the community," police said.
Anyone with information was to call Chesterfield Police at 804-748-1251.
Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center has been a topic of several reports in recent months.
Watch: Lawmaker says contract would prevent him from sharing what's inside youth prison
As CBS 6 has uncovered, the youth prison has been impacted by critically low staffing, overworked and unsatisfied employees, and conditions of confinement among youth.
Staffing shortages have led to resident idleness and security employees who feel unsafe, according to a third-party assessment of the facility that was completed last year.
Then in early February, 11 male residents attempted a takeover of a housing unit and started a fire, according to Crime Insider sources.
Emergency records, obtained through a public records request by CBS 6, showed multiple repeated instances over the past year of young residents starting fires in the facility prompting responses from the Chesterfield Fire Department.
Valerie Slater said the new developments regarding the alleged sex crimes escalate her concerns about the safety of youth at Bon Air.
“It's quite clear that things are out of control. There's no light way to say it," Slater said. "I'm deeply concerned and troubled, and I am hoping that we are no longer just beating this drum into a void, but that folks start listening, that something is done.”
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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