NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) -- Aaron Thomas is officially heading for trial.
The former North Kingstown High School basketball coach at the center of the high-profile "naked fat tests" case is scheduled to face a jury on April 1, 2025. He's pleaded not guilty to one count of second-degree child molestation and one count of second-degree sexual assault.
As Target 12 first reported in 2021, several former student-athletes came forward to accuse the former coach of conducting the naked fat tests. The students alleged Thomas, who worked and coached at North Kingstown High for nearly three decades, would regularly call students into his office and direct them to strip down to their underwear.
The former students said Thomas would then ask if they were “shy or not shy,” and if they responded that they weren’t shy, he would direct them to take off their underwear before conducting a series of body-fat tests on their bodies.
The students said they often felt obliged to do the tests. In a recent court decision, a judge cited one former student who told police Thomas also conducted a “puberty test” on him and he “just felt powerless.”
While Thomas has only been charged with two criminal offenses, police interviewed more than 30 former students who described similar experiences to the two victims involved in the case.
Lawyers for Thomas have acknowledged he conducted the testing regimen on hundreds of students, but argued it benefited the students athletically. Target 12 has interviewed former students who went through the tests as far back as the mid-1990s.
Last month, a judge ruled against Thomas's attempt to get the case tossed out. Afterward, his attorneys said, “Aaron Thomas maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court.”
A judge is scheduled to hear pretrial motions in the case on Feb. 24, 2025.
Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook.
Tim White contributed to this report.