A federal law enforcement officer remains in the Cochise County jail on a no-bond order after being arrested Tuesday night for allegedly kidnapping a teenaged girl as she was walking to school in Douglas on Monday and then driving to Sierra Vista where the girl was reportedly sexually assaulted before being returned to Douglas.
Aaron Thomas Mitchell, who works as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at the Douglas Port of Entry, was booked into jail around 3 a.m. Wednesday after being taken into custody near his residence in Sierra Vista. He was in his CBP uniform at the time, according to photos taken during the arrest.
Mitchell, 27, is currently charged with three felony counts related to the sexual misconduct involving a minor. Additional charges are expected based on the kidnap claim, which was reported by the 15-year-old girl to the Douglas Police Department.
Public records show Mitchell was booked into jail by Douglas PD Det. Ivan Gamez who requested a no bond hold. A justice of the peace confirmed a no bond order during Mitchell’s initial court appearance on Wednesday, although the order can be reconsidered in the future.
According to Douglas PD, the teen was walking to school on Monday when she was approached by a male subject in a red vehicle. The man, latter identified as Mitchell, purportedly identified himself as a law enforcement officer and was wearing a police tactical vest labeled “POLICE.”
The man demanded to see the girl’s identification, which she showed to him. It was then, investigators say, that the girl was made to get into Mitchell’s car. But instead of taking her to the police department, as Mitchell is alleged to have said, he drove her to his apartment in Sierra Vista. It was there that the sexual assault occurred, according to the statement.
Mitchell’s next court date has not been confirmed. Jail records show his arrest is the third in Cochise County this month involving the sexual assault of a minor.
