LOS ANGELES - A 60-year-old transient accused of kidnapping a young girl from a bus pleaded no contest on Friday.James John Thomas was scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27, where he is expected to receive five years in prison. Thomas allegedly kidnapped a 6-year-old girl who was riding an MTA bus with her family on Feb. 21. The girl and her family were homeless and rode buses at night for shelter. Thomas took the girl while her mother was sleeping, according to news reports. The girl was recovered several hours later when a bus driver spotted her on another bus and alerted authorities.

********** Published: January 27, 2011 - Volume 9 - Issue 41