The man suspected of trying to sexually assault a woman inside a southwest Bakersfield apartment has been found not guilty of those crimes, but convicted of attempted false imprisonment with violence for locking an employee in a Starbucks bathroom a few days earlier.

It’s unclear why 31-year-old Larry Thomas Jr. cornered the employee on Ming Avenue and Ashe Road on July 5th.

Police arrested Thomas a few days later for braking into the apartment on Brookside Drive near Gosford Road after receiving tips from the community.

He faces up to 16 months in jail at his sentencing next month.

Kelli Pierce