A Colorado dentist, Jason James Atha of Broomfield, has been arrested on suspicion of child enticement according to a federal indictment. Dr. Atha, who previously practiced at Alpine Dentistry in Boulder, was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations agents on August 9 at Palm Beach International Airport, as reported by KDVR.
Law enforcement records indicate a months-long sting operation, in which an undercover agent posed as the mother of an eight-year-old girl. Atha was allegedly caught in the act of planning to meet the fictional child for sexual activities. According to CBS12, the criminal complaint against Atha is "extremely graphic and sexually explicit." A woman at his former dental office would not comment on his arrest other than to confirm that he is no longer employed there.
In the sting operation, which began in October of the last year, Atha engaged in incriminating conversations with the undercover agent, spanning several months. During these interchanges, he discussed sexual relations with what he believed to be a mother and her underaged daughter. "We live in a very sick world now where there are many people out there preying upon our children," said Stuart Kaplan, a criminal defense attorney and former FBI agent, in a statement obtained by CBS12 News.
Authorities allege that Atha also had child pornography in his possession at the time of arrest. Following his arrest, Atha "spontaneously" inquired how he could be taken into custody and how agents were aware of his communications, as stated in the federal arrest affidavit cited by KDVR. Despite acknowledging the conversation with the undercover agent, Atha purportedly denied he would have carried out the acts he described.
On his former dental office's website, Atha was credited with doing pro bono work each summer in North Carolina before his arrest. He now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted for attempted enticement of a minor, with a pre-trial detention hearing scheduled for tomorrow in Federal Court in West Palm Beach.
