SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — A former North Kingstown High School student said a 2018 news article about serial child molester Larry Nassar made him think differently about being subjected to the naked fat test program while in high school. The former student, who attended high school in the early 2000s, testified about the experience Monday at Washington County Superior Court, where former high school basketball coach Aaron Thomas is on trial for second-degree child molestation and second-degree sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty. The former student, who Judge Melanie Wilk Thunberg has requested not be publicly identified, said he hadn't thought critically about the experience of being brought into Thomas’ office, where he was told to get naked for a series of tests. But that all changed after seeing the article about Nassar, a doctor for the U.S. gymnastics team who was convicted of multiple counts of child molestation. The former student said the article launched a yearslong effort to make public what Thomas had been doing for decades. An estimated 600 students went through the fat-testing program beginning in the 1990s. 'What he did was wrong' “Up until that time, I would almost just laugh off the testing,” the former student said. “When I read that article, I looked at it in a totally different perspective. What happened to me is not OK.” The student decided at the time he would report Thomas to the police, and ended up making a formal statement to the North Kingstown Police Department. But he said he felt like the investigation wasn’t making much headway after several years had passed. After additional allegations emerged in February 2021 and Thomas was suspended from the high school, the former student said he decided to start making public statements through anonymous social media accounts. He said he felt it was necessary because high school officials weren’t saying publicly why Thomas had been suspended. 2021: Naked fat tests put RI coach under investigation Thomas quietly resigned a few months later and was quickly hired in the next town at a Catholic middle school. That school suspended and then fired Thomas after Target 12 reached out about the naked fat test allegations in the fall of 2021.  “What he did was wrong,” the former student said. “What the town was doing was wrong by not making it public knowledge for parents… All of that was wrong, and I saw it was all going to be swept under the rug if someone didn’t make it known.” Thomas’ attorney, John Calcagni, challenged the student's narrative of what happened, informing the jury that the former student is part of a group currently suing North Kingstown for failing to protect students from the naked fat tests. MORE: New lawsuit filed in North Kingstown ‘naked fat test’ scandal Calcagni also reminded the jury that the former student is in a group chat with other former students involved in the lawsuit, and highlighted a text from the group that showed the men talking about destroying Thomas’ life. The former student said the group text — dubbed “Tip of the speare” [sic] — was created in 2021, around the same time the naked fat test allegations became public. They made it, he said, as a way for people who were subjected to naked fat tests to support each other. “A lot of music sharing, joke telling — but primarily support,” he said when asked to describe the group chat. ‘I’m shy’: Former students say there weren’t permission slips for naked fat tests Thomas’ attorneys have argued that while the naked fat testing may have been inappropriate, he didn’t technically break any laws. And they plan to call other former students who will testify that the program helped them athletically. “At no point in time during the testing did Coach Thomas place his hands on your genitals?" Calcagni questioned. "No penetration involved?” The former student agreed with Calcagni, but he said he was always anxious leading up to the tests because he feared he might get an erection while being naked and getting touched and pinched. RELATED: Witness defends memory of ‘naked fat test’ in Aaron Thomas trial “This person has power over me, and I felt like I needed to do this,” he said about getting naked for the tests. “He caused so much damage to so many people.” The former student, whose testimony started Friday, was one of two former students to take the stand on Monday. 'The reaction was really startling' The other student, who graduated in 2010, flew into Rhode Island from another state to share his experience going through the naked fat test program. This former student didn’t play basketball; he was a hockey player and highly interested in Thomas’ communications class. He started getting tested in his sophomore year and said the inappropriateness of it didn’t dawn on him until years later, when he described the testing to a group of friends in 2019 — and they were appalled. “The reaction was really startling,” he said. He then talked about it with his wife and uncle, who are both educators, and said it began to make him feel betrayed, surprised, hurt and ashamed. He said he looks back on himself in high school as a person who was really trusting of people, especially adults. “Now I think of [my high school self as] someone who should have been less generous with that trust,” he said. EXCLUSIVE: Former NK students share stories of trauma from naked ‘fat tests’ Prosecutors have called 14 of 20 witnesses in the trial, which started with testimony last Monday. Next, the defense will get a turn to make its case before closing statements, after which the matter will be handed over to the jury. Testimony is scheduled to begin again at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Eli Sherman (esherman@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media:                     Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW ...read more read less