Former CBP Agent Sentenced for Kidnapping and Assaulting Teen

Phoenix, Arizona – March 14, 2025

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING

Aaron Thomas Mitchell, a 30-year-old former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison on Friday after being convicted of abducting and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old middle school student.

Mitchell was found guilty of a federal civil rights offense and kidnapping following a trial in which a jury deliberated for two days. The charges stemmed from an incident on April 25, 2022, when Mitchell abducted the young girl from Douglas, Arizona, under the guise of official authority. The jury determined that his crimes included aggravated sexual abuse, kidnapping, and resulted in bodily injury to the victim.

According to evidence presented at trial, Mitchell encountered the girl that morning as she waited for school to begin. Posing as a law enforcement officer, he flashed a police badge and credentials, demanding to see her "papers." He then ordered her into his vehicle, claiming he was taking her to a police station. Instead, Mitchell drove the girl miles away from her school, pulled over, and restrained her hands and feet with two pairs of handcuffs. While on the way to his apartment in Sierra Vista, he questioned the girl, who told him she was 15 and gave the names of her family members.

Mitchell briefly left the girl alone in the car, instructing her not to make any noise and to stay there while he got a jacket, which he put over her shoulders to hide the handcuffs he had placed on her. After Mitchell led her inside, he told her not to be afraid because he was a police officer, assuring her that he would not hurt her if she did everything he said. Over the next several hours, Mitchell repeatedly and violently assaulted her.

After the ordeal, Mitchell returned the victim to the vicinity of her school and released her, threatening her to stay silent about the attack. He kept her backpack, telling her it had fingerprints on it.

Undeterred, the girl immediately reported the assault to family and law enforcement, triggering an investigation.

Local police arrived at Mitchell’s apartment to execute a search warrant. Mitchell was driving home at that time and sped away when he saw police. Law enforcement arrested him, and he provided a voluntary statement at the police station, denying any wrongdoing.

Further investigation uncovered evidence on Mitchell’s cellphone, including internet searches related to rape, methods to silence someone, and queries about how long it takes to smother a person.