March 25, 2022- 12:31 p.m.
A federal jury finds a Glenpool man guilty of sexually exploiting a 16 year old girl.
Federal prosecutors say 54 year old Thomas Pearce met the victim online in February of 2021 and coerced her into sexual activity and took sexually explicit photographs of her.
They say he also had child pornography on electronic devices, including images of the sexual abuse of children under 12.
U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said, “There are two heroes in this case: an alert Jenks police officer… and the victim who .. testified.”
On February 8th, 201, a Jenks police officer saw a suspicious white pick-up parked on a partially paved area with a man in the driver’s seat, who quickly drove away when he saw the cop.
The officer pulled over Pearce and saw the teenage girl in the passenger seat.
Pearce claimed the girl was his niece but could not provide a phone number to contact her parents.
The girl told officers she was high on marijuana that Pearce had given her and said nothing happened “this time” but he had zip tied her hands and took explicit pictures another time.
Officers located marijuana, four thumb drives, a package of zip-ties, duct tape and three cell phones in his truck..
The victim disclosed she and Pearce had contact six times and his sexual advances and abuse escalated each time.
She said Pearce provided her with marijuana and also told her to take a pill, which she refused.
On a phone found in the vehicle, investigators found a file with the victim’s name on it, that contained explicit photographs and confirmed what the victim said.
In text messages between Pearce and the victim, he talked about the sexual abuse and said she should take a pill that would make her feel good because “he said so,” and said he’d had sexual encounters with other minors as well.
When the victim texted that she did not want to meet him again, he threatened to hurt her siblings.
Search warrants were served on Pearce’s home in Glenpool and at two storage units in Tulsa and officers seized a computer and numerous hard drives.
On a thumb drive, investigators found another file with a girl’s name on it that contained sexually explicit images of her.
-She is now an adult and confirmed she had met Pearce online while she was in high school and Pearce had sex with her and took sexually explicit photographs and paid her in cash, gifts, and marijuana.
Investigators also videos and pictures of child sexual abuse with one labeled “raped teens.”
The jury convicted Pearce of coercion or enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, possession of child pornography and distribution of marijuana.
