A former Customs and Border Protection officer charged in two courts related to the kidnapping and rape of a 15-year-old Mexican resident is hoping the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will allow him to be released from custody pending trial.
Aaron Thomas Mitchell is under indictment in Cochise County Superior Court as well as the U.S. District Court in Tucson concerning his actions April 25 when he admittedly came into contact with the teenager near her school in Douglas. She told police Mitchell ordered her into his car then drove her an hour away to Sierra Vista, where she says she was kept in his apartment for several hours.
The Cochise County case involves 18 felonies ranging from kidnapping, obstructing a criminal investigation, and multiple counts of sexual abuse and sexual assault. Mitchell was initially held in jail without bond, but was later released on a $200,000 bond with GPS monitoring to await trial while living with family in Florida.
Then in July, a federal grand jury indicted Mitchell on one count of kidnapping a minor. The federal charge, which carries a minimum 20-year prison term, led Mitchell to self-surrender to the FBI’s Miami field office.
A federal magistrate in Florida then issued a detention order requiring Mitchell be transported to Arizona and held without bond until his trial on the kidnap charge. A Dec. 28 jury trial is set in the federal case along with a Dec. 9 plea deal deadline.
However, Mitchell’s defense attorney continues to fight the no-bond order, pointing to Mitchell’s compliance during several weeks of release in the Cochise County case. On Oct. 18, the defense filed an appeal with the clerk of the Ninth Circuit seeking to overturn the federal magistrate’s order.
No briefings nor hearings have been scheduled on the appeal.
In the meantime, Mitchell has a Nov. 7 pretrial conference set in Cochise County in advance of an expected Spring 2023 trial. A local judge has already expressed concern with ensuring Mitchell is transported to the courthouse in Bisbee from the federal pretrial detention facility, which appears to be in Florence.
Federal investigators are also continuing to look into Mitchell’s activities prior to April 25, focusing on whether he engaged in criminal contact with anyone other young women.
“The investigation is ongoing, and it is believed that additional victims may exist,” according to a statement from the FBI’s Phoenix field office concerning Mitchell.
Nothing has been revealed in court to explain why investigators believe there may be other victims. However, anyone with information about Mitchell’s activities is asked to call the FBI’s Phoenix field office at 623-466-1999 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Court records show the girl crossed daily from Agua Prieta, Sonora into Douglas to attend school. She was allegedly ordered by Mitchell to show him her identification papers before being lured into his car when he said they needed to go to the nearby Douglas police station.
Instead, Mitchell drove the girl all the way to Sierra Vista. Once in his apartment, the girl was reportedly handcuffed and forced into leg restraints. She told detectives she was sexually assaulted numerous times over several hours and at one point was given alcohol before being driven back to Douglas.
The girl’s description of Mitchell’s apartment and physical characteristics unique to Mitchell led to his arrest that same evening. Photographs taken at the time show he was wearing his CBP uniform.
Other court records show the Cochise County Attorney’s Office obtained a court order requiring Mitchell to undergo various testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
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Man Accused Of Kidnap, Rape Of Teen Is Approved For Pre-Trial Release