Photo: CNN/NBC
The soon to be ex-wife of Tad Cummins speaks out.
By Liza Walter — Written on Apr 27, 2017
Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas' home state of Tennessee states the Tennessee Age of Consent is 18-years-old. In the United States, the age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 17 or younger in Tennessee are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape.
In California, where the sexual activity likely took place, the Age of Consent is also 18-years-old.
Tennessee teacher Tad Cummins, 50, is accused of kidnapping 15-year-old student Elizabeth Thomas and driving across state lines to California so that they could be together.
For over a month, they were the subject of a nationwide manhunt that ended peacefully in Northern California on April 20, 2017.
Elizabeth Thomas has been staying at an undisclosed location being treated for trauma while she acclimates to being back home with her family and friends.
According to the Thomas family attorney, Jason Whatley, Elizabeth had lost weight during the disappearance saying, “I was so shocked when I saw her first. I didn’t know it but she was even smaller than she was used to be being. She [had] lost a lot [of weight].”
Whatley said Thomas hadn't showered or bathed in weeks and asked for a shower as soon as she was rescued, and added that Tad “treated her like a child at times. I think most people would agree that the combination of treating her like a child and an adult woman in the same relationship, like a light switched [and] turned it on and off, [is] damaging.”
Griffin Barry, the caretaker of the cabin that alerted authorities to the pair's whereabouts said:
“I had given him [Tad Cummins] food and she was like, ‘Thank you.' ... He still tried to come out of the car and meet me and keep her away but she came out and I was about 20 feet way and she was like, ‘Thank you.' ... She got excited over the food ... Someone had handed me a big bag of food they just left so I just passed it on. I think there were a couple of clementines too. There was a bunch of rice, a can of Refried beans. I gave them a little bit of produce, carrots, some ramen.”
(The floor of the cabin where Elizabeth Thomas and Tad Cummins were found)
Tad Cummins was arrested and charged with kidnapping and sex crimes in both California and Tennessee.
According to court documents, “[Cummins] planned and executed an audacious scheme to take a juvenile victim across the United States while evading law enforcement for the purposes of engaging in criminal sexual conduct, and, ultimately, he wanted to take the victim south of the border to Mexico and beyond for his own purposes. In furtherance of this plan, the defendant procured a small watercraft and conducted a test run to cross into Mexico across the water from San Diego. The defendant also considered the feasibility of a land crossing into Mexico.”
Jill Cummins was married to Tad Cummins for over 31 years when she recently filed for divorce while Tad was still running from the law.
In a new interview with Inside Edition, Jill claims to have spoken with Tad from jail.
"I said, 'Well, did you sleep with her?' And he said, 'Yes I did.' And I didn't want any details, but I knew the truth. I just wanted to hear it from him to me."
"It was very hard to hear his voice after all this time not knowing if I was going to hear it again ... But he told me he was sorry. He told me he loved me and to please forgive him."
Tad's admission to his wife fits in with the narrative that both prosecutors are describing and the evidence found both prior to his leaving and when they were found.
Per state laws, Tad Cummins raped Elizabeth Thomas.
Jill told authorities that Tad filled his Cialis prescription only days before March 13, 2017, when he and Elizabeth left Tennesee.
Cialis is used to treat erectile dysfunction and to help men last longer in bed.
Furthermore, evidence suggested that Tad purchased KY Jelly, a lubricant often used to aid in sexual activity. The KY jelly was found at the cabin they were recovered from.
Cummins' court-appointed attorney, Benjamin Galloway, told The Sacramento Bee that [the charges] “do not involve force or coercion,” and that Elizabeth Thomas left Tennessee with Cummins “on her own free will.”
Galloway also noted that Cummins has no criminal history.
“He is looking forward to return to Tennessee as soon as possible."
If convicted, Tad Cummins faces a minimum of ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine.