Man sentenced to prison for sexual assault on Sacramento light rail train
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- A judge sentenced Gregory Thorn to 35 years to life in prison for a sexual assault.
- Thorn sexually assaulted a woman on a Sacramento-area light rail train.
- Security video and DNA identified Thorn as the sexual offender, prosecutors said.
A judge on Friday sentenced a man to 35 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting a woman last year on a light rail train in Sacramento County.
A jury on Aug. 7 found Gregory Thorn, 41, guilty of forcible genital penetration with a foreign object and indecent exposure, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
The sexual assault occurred May 16, 2024. Sacramento Regional Transit operates light rail train service in Sacramento County.
Prosecutors said the woman was a passenger on the light rail train when Thorn boarded the train and sat next to her. The woman did not know Thorn.
Thorn started to touch the woman and pressed his body against, before he placed his arm around her, positioned his hand under her clothes and sexually assaulted her, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said the woman exited the train, but Thorn followed her, groped her and forcibly kissed her before pulling down his pants and exposed himself to her. The woman was able to get on her bicycle and leave the area.
The following day, she reported the sexual assault to Sacramento police. Prosecutors said security camera video on the light rail train showed Thorn groping and kissing the woman, and traces of DNA taken from the woman’s sexual assault exam identified Thorn as the sexual offender.
Thorn’s conviction included a previous conviction of robbery and battery with serious bodily injury that was considered a strike under California’s “Three Strikes” law.
On Monday, Thorn remained in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail awaiting a transfer to a prison.
This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM.
