A former US Customs and Border Protection agent has been convicted on charges of federal civil rights violations and kidnapping after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a minor. Aaron Mitchell, who once served to protect the borders and uphold the law, displayed a grave abuse of his position when he abducted and assaulted a middle school student in April 2022. According to the Justice Department, he now faces the possibility of life in prison.
The distressing case revealed that Mitchell pretended to perform his duties as a law enforcement officer when he encountered the 15-year-old victim. "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 made by the Justice Department.
A jury was presented with evidence that detailed how Mitchell deceived the victim by requesting her papers and then instructing her to get into his car under the presumption of being taken to the police station. Instead, the victim was handcuffed and sexually assaulted at Mitchell's apartment for several hours before being returned near her school with a warning not to disclose the incident.
With a community's trust shattered, U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino spotlighted the reprehensible nature of the crime, contrasting it with the expectations placed on law enforcement officers. "We count on our law enforcement officers to protect children, schools and communities," Restaino stated, as reported by the Justice Department. "This defendant dishonored his badge and his colleagues by ignoring his oath and harming the most vulnerable among us." An examination of the defendant's cellphone unveiled disturbing searches related to rape and silencing the victim.
The investigation was a joint effort by the Douglas Police Department and the FBI Phoenix Field Office, Sierra Vista Resident Agency, culminating in a two-week trial that ended with Mitchell’s guilt. The sentencing hearing will be set at a future date, and until then, the Justice Department and the federal court will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors to determine the appropriate punishment for the disgraced former agent.
