A former Douglas County High School teacher is headed to jail after a student he once taught stood a few feet away in a Castle Rock courtroom and described how his actions still haunt her.
James Thomure, 57, was sentenced Friday to 300 days in jail and eight years of intensive sex-offender probation after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and child abuse in connection with an incident involving a 17-year-old student in May 2024. The teen told the court the encounter “has stayed with me for years.” Court records show Thomure is no longer employed by the Douglas County School District and that he accepted the plea agreement.
How prosecutors say it happened
According to prosecutors, the episode began after Thomure finished proctoring an exam for three students. When two of them left the room, he stayed behind with the remaining 17-year-old and groped her, then tried to kiss her. He allegedly told the student he would like to “do things to her,” suggested meeting at a park over the summer for sexual activity, and later drove her to her car and gave her his phone number, according to an arrest affidavit and local reporting.
Investigators said video from the school and other evidence backed up the student’s account. As detailed by Douglas County News Press, the teen reported what happened to a trusted adult, who in turn contacted the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Victim's courtroom remarks
In court, the student described how the incident upended her trust in a teacher she had once admired. “For years, I trusted and looked up to him,” she said, explaining the emotional toll the encounter has taken, according to KKTV.
Prosecutors told the court Thomure pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of child abuse under the plea deal, which they said locked in both a jail term and years of close supervision.
District response and background
The Douglas County School District placed Thomure on administrative leave once authorities opened their investigation and has since removed him from the classroom, according to CBS Colorado. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office led the criminal probe and initially urged anyone with additional information to come forward.
Legal note
Court documents and local reporting describe Thomure as a married father of two college-aged children. Prosecutors said the plea agreement was structured to balance a defined stint behind bars with intensive sex-offender probation that will keep him under tight supervision for years, according to 9News.
Authorities said the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office corroborated the student’s report using classroom surveillance footage, reinforcing the account she first shared with that trusted adult.
