Man Who Impregnated 10-Year-Old Says 160-Year Sentence Doesn't Fit Crime

Jennifer Hand of Georgia was the mother of a young son and daughter when she started dating Nicholas Thrash.  The couple had been together for years when, in 2016, Jennifer called her father in Indiana out of the blue. Despite not having contact with her dad for three years, Jennifer asked if she, Nicholas, and the kids could come to visit. He happily agreed.

The couple stayed at her father’s house in Marion for about a week before returning to Georgia without the kids. A few weeks later, Hand called her father and told him she, Thrash, and the kids would be permanently relocating to the city to be close to him.

The truth was far more sinister.

Hand and Thrash lived with her father for a few weeks after relocating before acquiring a place on Race Street. 

A Failed Safety Plan

Hand and Thrash moved abruptly from the state after Child Protective Services suspected that he was abusing Hand’s daughter.  They did not have proof, leaving their hands tied to make an arrest. 

Hoping to keep Thrash away from the little girl, officials created what's called a “Safety Plan” for the kids. Jennifer signed and agreed to the plan, which required her to keep the little girl away from Thrash. He was to have no contact with her whatsoever.

Hand refused to leave her man, even knowing that he was raping her daughter. She instead moved, giving Thrash easier access to continue his sick acts.

In Indiana, Thrash abused the little girl while her mom was at work and sometimes as she slept. He abused her in their bed and in the child’s room a couple of times per week.

Assaults End in Pregnancy

In February 2017, Hand, Thrash, and the kids moved to a house on Spencer Avenue. There, he became even more brazen in the sexual assaults and abused the girl on beds, on the couch, and even in the bathroom and dining room.

Thrash repeatedly told the girl she would get in trouble if she ever told anyone what he was doing to her.

In May 2017, Hand noticed her daughter had a pregnancy bump. She claimed she questioned her daughter, but she denied that “anybody had been messin’ with her,” according to court documents. She gave the girl a pregnancy test, confirming she was pregnant. Hand claimed that her daughter confessed that Thrash had been molesting her.

Thrash Remains at Home as Hand Schedules Abortion

Even with this information, Hand continued her relationship with Thrash. She even allowed him to remain in the home with her daughter, the child he abused and impregnated. She told the little girl that a boy from school was the father if anyone asked.

Hand took her daughter to an abortion clinic in Indianapolis but did not have proper documentation for the child. They refused to perform the procedure.

Walking out, Hand noticed an RV sitting in the parking lot of the clinic. The RV read Gabriel Project, “A ministry for pregnant women who find themselves in crisis.” Hand took her daughter inside. They performed an ultrasound, which determined the child was 19 weeks pregnant.

Staff from the Gabriel Project called CPS when Hand left with her daughter.

The young girl told social workers about the abuse. She was placed in foster care.

Police arrested Hand and Thrash on May 16, 2017, on 10 counts of Level 1 felony child molestation.

Girl Delivers Healthy Baby Boy

On September 16, 2017, the girl delivered a healthy baby boy. DNA confirmed with a 99.999% certainty that Thrash fathered the baby. State officials placed the baby up for adoption, leaving the now 12-year-old girl depressed and suicidal. She was placed in a mental health facility.

Sentencing

On August 27, 2018, a jury convicted Thrash on all charges. In September, he received a total sentence of 160 years in prison. At his trial, Thrash blamed the little girl, saying she was promiscuous. He also said he did not feel that his crime matched his sentence and claimed he was unfairly treated by the judge, jurors, and lawyers.

In September 2018, Hand accepted a plea deal sentencing her to 20 years in prison on reduced charges of neglect, aiding child molestation, and assisting a criminal. She is incarcerated at Rockville Correctional Institute with parole eligibility in 2033.