Ex-soldier sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping young children on military bases

TACOMA, Wash. - A former U.S. soldier, 40-year-old Lewis Patrick Thompson, was sentenced to thirty years in prison for raping kids under age 12.

Thompson was arrested in July 2020 and later pleaded guilty in October 2022.

In a Tacoma courtroom, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan ordered Thompson to be on lifetime supervised release following his prison term. Court documents revealed that the sexual assaults took place on military bases both overseas and within the United States while Thompson was serving as a caregiver for the children.

The victims, who were 11 years old at the time, bravely disclosed the abuse to trusted adults. In response, the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and the FBI swiftly launched an investigation into the matter.

Thompson has been held at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington since his arrest in 2020.

Judge Bryan will at a later hearing determine the amount of restitution Thompson must pay to the victims for counseling and other care needed following the abuse.