Arizona man pleads not guilty to Grand Island child rape case

GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska (Nebraska) — A trial is scheduled on Grand Island in June for an Arizona man accused of raping a 13-year-old Utah boy.

Tadashi Kojima, 26, of Tucson, Arizona, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a child, one count of third-degree sexual abuse of a child, and one count of resisting arrest. State laws define first-degree sexual assault as involving penetration and third-degree sexual assault as sexual contact.

Grand Island Police arrested Kojima on December 28 after officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle at a gas station just before 2 a.m. Officers found a child and an adult sitting in a white Toyota Avalon at Git N Split near Grand Island Regional Medical Center. Center. At the time of his arrest, the boy had been absent for two days.

Officers were told the boy had been abducted by a Utah child who was likely with a stranger he met online.

Court records show that the boy’s father told police in Layton, Utah that his son interacted with someone while playing Roblox and was then invited to chat. The teenager was reported missing on December 26 and is believed to have been with a suspect he spoke to online.

Kojima has also been charged in federal court in Utah with kidnapping and transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The federal court documents do not indicate a date for Kojima’s future trial in Salt Lake City.

In the District Court of Hall County, Kojima’s trial is scheduled for June 12.

Kojima also used the aliases Aaron Zeman and Hunter Fox.

As of now, Kojima remains in the Hall County Jail on 10% of his $1 million bail.

The maximum penalty for a first-degree child sexual abuse conviction is life imprisonment.

Content Source

The Sarpy County – Latest News:
Omaha Local News || Nebraska State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Tech News || Lifestyle News