A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent has been found guilty of abducting a teenage girl before sexually abusing her.
Aaron Mitchell was convicted of a federal civil rights violation and kidnapping, with his actions involving aggravated sexual abuse, abduction, and causing bodily harm to a minor. The jury’s verdict came on Friday, August 30, after two days of deliberation, according to a DoJ statement.
During the two-week trial, the jury reviewed evidence showing that Mitchell traveled to Douglas, Arizona, on April 25, 2022, where he abducted the 15-year-old girl waiting outside her school. Addressing her as a law enforcement officer, he demanded her papers, flashed his badge, and claimed he was taking her to the police station.
However, instead of driving her there, he took her to his apartment, restrained her with handcuffs, and sexually assaulted her over several hours. After the assault, Mitchell returned the girl to the vicinity of her school, warning her not to report the incident. The teenager, however, immediately informed her family, friends, and law enforcement about the abduction and assault.
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“We count on our law enforcement officers to protect children, schools and communities,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Gary Restaino said in a statement. “This defendant dishonored his badge and his colleagues by ignoring his oath and harming the most vulnerable among us.”
“The heinous crimes committed against a young middle school student by an individual sworn to uphold the law are unspeakable,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.
The case was investigated by the Douglas Police Department and FBI Phoenix Field Office. Further investigation revealed that Mitchell had conducted online searches related to rape and methods to silence victims before and during the crime. The Department of Justice also said that during his interview with the police, Mitchell said the girl “better hope I don’t get out of here.”
Mitchell was arrested on July 28, 2022. The sentencing date is yet to be set but the DoJ confirmed he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
A study from 2023 by Bowling Green State University focusing on police officers arrested for sex-related crimes showed that in 1,355 cases out of 3,383 criminal arrests between 2005 and 2017, the officer used his police authority to commit such crimes. The study emphasizes that due to a high number of unreported cases, the real figure is most likely higher.
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