By EFE
A federal jury found Aaron Mitchell, a former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent, guilty of charges related to the kidnapping of a 15-year-old girl whom he intimidated by asking her about her immigration status, and then sexually abusing her, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported on Friday.
The events occurred on the morning of April 25, 2022, when Mitchell traveled to Douglas, Arizona, where he kidnapped the high school student, took her to his apartment and sexually assaulted her.
Aaron Thomas Mitchell.U.S. District Court
for the District of Arizona
According to evidence presented at the two-week trial, Mitchell presented himself as a law enforcement officer and asked the minor for her immigration documents as she was heading to school.
After showing his badge and police credentials, Mitchell ordered the girl into his car and explained that he would take her to the police station.
But instead, the officer drove the girl away from the school, pulled over to the side of the road and restrained her hands and feet with two pairs of handcuffs.
[El Gobierno acusa de abusos sexuales contra niños inmigrantes no acompañados a la mayor empresa que los alberga]
The victim testified at trial that after handcuffing her, the defendant instructed her to do whatever he told her because he did not want to have to hurt her. He then forced her into his apartment, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her for several hours.
Mitchell eventually returned the teen to the high school grounds where he had abducted her and warned her not to tell anyone.
The victim immediately reported the kidnapping and sexual assault to her family and several law enforcement agencies.
“The heinous crimes committed against a young high school student by an individual sworn to uphold the law are unspeakable,” DOJ Civil Rights Division Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement.
“With this verdict, the jury has done us all a great favor by holding this former federal law enforcement officer accountable,” the prosecutor added.
Mitchell faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
