Former Johnson HS track star adds to allegations against past NFL player

Following the publication of “Alleged child molester makes sweetheart deal,” in the June 28, 2023 edition of the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch, another family reached out to the Hays Free Press to tell their story. The article below is their experience with Thomas Geredine Sr.

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HAYS COUNTY — In 2019, Elektra Sanchez was focused on improving her track career when she was recommended to train with Thomas Geredine Sr.

“I was 13, turning 14 … I went to a practice with [the parent who recommended Geredine] and her daughter and I was like, ‘Okay. Yeah, he seems like a decent coach. I can train with him,’” said Elektra.

Feeling as though Geredine could push her in training, the then-14-year-old had approximately 10 sessions with him, during which, initially, the Sanchez family felt Geredine was generous with extra practice time; though, now familiar with how other coaches work, they understand this was not a form of kindness.

“The sessions were $75 an hour and he would always go over. Sometimes it’d be like a two-hour practice, but he wouldn’t charge,” said Jessica Sanchez, Elektra’s mother. “A coach isn’t going to give a free hour … Looking back now, [I realize] that’s not normal.”

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Similar to Sophia Oliveraz, who was the first victim to come forward, Geredine used the modus operandi — a Latin phrase meaning mode of operating — of stretching the track girls as an excuse to get physically closer to them, explained Elektra.

“He would always want to stretch me. I let him for a while, but I was just uncomfortable with people touching me in general, so I had told my mom, ‘I’m not comfortable with him stretching me. I can stretch on my own,’” said Elektra. “Then [after explaining that I didn’t want him to stretch me] he was telling me, ‘You’re going to have to let me stretch you.’”

Despite expressing discomfort with him stretching her, she allowed it after experiencing a cramp in her hamstring. Typically, the muscle could be stretched by the athlete lying on their back with the injured leg in the air and an individual pushing that leg toward the athlete’s face, but Geredine convinced Elektra that her butt had to be touched to stretch her.

“You’re going to have to let me touch your gluteus, too, because I have to touch it to stretch you,” said Geredine, followed by placing his hand on her butt, alleged Elektra.

Feeling confused, she kept quiet, but the next situation happened soon after when a conversation about boys and whether she liked any began at one practice. Feeling giddy about a boy that she thought was cool, she told Geredine when he asked, but his response was unusual.

“Well, you don’t need any boys. You don’t need a boyfriend. You only need me,” said Geredine. “I can be your open diary. You just tell me everything that you don’t want to tell your parents,” Elektra recalled.

Though it was unexpected, Elektra had heard everyone tell her that she didn’t need a boyfriend, so Geredine was no exception. His next comment that she “could get pregnant from boys,” so she “didn’t need them” had no explanation.

Jessica responded with confusion when her daughter brought up the conversation: “She’s not even thinking about sex in seventh grade, so I thought that was weird, but he was such a nice guy … [I just thought] he was giving some advice to an athlete, like, ‘Don’t go get pregnant,’ you know?”

To add to the strangeness of it all, Geredine would often “want to hang out” with Elektra and invite her to go to track meets with him “to observe.”

It wasn’t until Elektra spoke to the Oliveraz family that she realized that she was not alone in enduring Geredine’s abuse.

“When Annie [Kuhn] called the cops on him and the whole court case started, that’s when I knew for sure he had done other things, too … I was like, ‘Okay, it’s not just [me],’” said Elektra.

After Kuhn reported Geredine, Elektra was invited to talk to the investigator as well about her uncomfortable situations with the coach and was prepared to testify. Despite feeling as though they did everything they could, Jessica explained that the case seemed to be going nowhere.

“It just kept getting put off,” said Jessica. “They were helpful. They would email and call and say, ‘Hey, this is what’s going to happen,’ and that the court case was set for this day, but then the day before, we would always get an email saying that it got pushed back. That was five years of getting pushed back.”

On Jan. 24, 2023, Geredine accepted a plea agreement for one count of injury to a child, a third-degree felony.

According to Hays County District Attorney’s Office Victim Assistance Coordinator Erin Dupalo, the terms of the plea include the following: 10 years supervised deferred adjudication on a third-degree felony injury to a child – bodily injury charge, a $1,500 fine, a $60 per month supervision fee, a psychological/drug/alcohol abuse evaluation with counseling/treatment as recommended, 350 hours of community service, no contact with the victims and sex offender treatment. He is prohibited from working in schools with minor children 10 years of age and younger.

The plea deal, specifically not having a sex offender title, was not what the Sanchez family had in mind for justice.

“It just makes me mad that it didn’t go as far as it should have, the case. He needs to have sex offender slapped across his mug shot. That’s what he is,” spit Jessica. “But what else could we do? There weren't many options and we wanted him to have something on his record. He has a felony, so I mean, that’s good, but they weren’t going to give him a sex offender title, which is what we really wanted him to have.”

Elektra shared a similar emotion of defeat stating that “I guess we can just go out and say, 'Don’t work with this man, he’s done these things,' but [it’s not the same.]”

Both Jessica and Elektra felt that because Geredine’s victims were aged 13-14, his plea deal should have prevented him from working with all minors, not just those under the age of 10.

“I feel like they take it more seriously if it’s rape. I mean, obviously, that is a much bigger deal, but stuff like this I feel like they just put it to the side,” said Elektra. “They belittled us.”

Jessica agreed, stating that their “case wasn’t big enough for them. It was just a waste of time for them.”

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Looking back at the incidents, now-18-year-old Elektra understands the intentions behind comments and actions by Geredine. Before, she often justified Geredine’s actions by convincing herself that he genuinely was trying to help her stretch, that it wasn’t weird that he said she didn’t need a boyfriend because he wasn’t the only one trying to deter her away from one at a young age and that his invitations to hang out were purely out of kindness. Because of this, she stated that she is “more hesitant” with others in her life now.

Elektra graduated from Johnson High School this past May and, though she is more cautious of coaches around her, she will continue her track career and education at the Naval Academy, where she will eventually serve in the Navy full-time.

Feeling inspired to share her story because of the previous article of Geredine, Elektra would encourage others to share theirs as well.

“Don’t feel pressured to come forward, but know that coming forward, it helps other people, too. They’re more confident to come forward [if you share yours] as well,” said Elektra. “It’s okay, It’s not just [you].”