Tenn. Teen Says Teacher's Abduction, Sex Abuse Had 'Devastating and Permanent' Impact
At 15, she was abducted by her married teacher, taken across the country for 38 days and sexually abused.
On Wednesday, Elizabeth Thomas had the opportunity to confront her kidnapper, telling teacher Tad Cummins, 52, how vulnerable she was when he groomed her for sex abuse — and how monstrous his crimes were.
“The effects have been devastating and permanent, and they are not over,” reads Elizabeth’s victim impact statement, which was read by prosecutors to Cummins in a Nashville, Tennessee, courtroom before he was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, according to CNN.
“Mr. Cummins, what you did to me is unspeakable. I don’t know that any words could ever accurately express how much pain I have suffered and continue to suffer because of you.”
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Last April, Cummins pleaded guilty to federal counts of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual conduct and obstruction of justice. He was Elizabeth’s health sciences teacher at the Culleoka Unit School in Tennessee when he kidnapped her in March 2017.
“When I started school, you picked me out of the crowd,” Elizabeth wrote in her statement, according to The Tennessean. “I was just a kid who wanted to make friends, but you were someone who had a plan. You saw a broken girl, who was lonely, scared, and traumatized.
“You made her feel safe and loved because you saw what she needed and made her believe you would be her ‘protector.’ I was at a point in my life where I needed to be protected the most And when it came down to it, that was all a part of your plan. All you were was a man who wanted sex, and you manipulated me and used me just for that.”
Elizabeth’s abduction generated national headlines when the girl was reported missing. Prior to that, Cummins was suspended from his job after a student spotted him kissing Elizabeth on school grounds.
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The pair were eventually discovered in Northern California, holed up in a four-wall shack, and Cummins was arrested.
Not long after his arrest, Cummins’ wife filed for divorce.
RELATED: Tennessee Teen’s Family Sues Ex-Teacher Accused of Grooming, Kidnapping and Sexually Abusing Her
Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence, WDBJ reported.
Upon his release from prison, Cummins will be required to register as a sex offender.
Elizabeth’s family’s civil lawsuit against Cummins is still pending in court.
In her statement, Elizabeth said Cummins told her “the devil made” him pursue an inappropriate relationship with her. “But if that’s true, then you are the devil,” the statement continues. “Your choices were yours and yours alone. A 17-year-old girl should not have to tell a 52-year-old man this, but choices have consequences. Your choices destroyed not just my family, but also yours.”
