Crimes in cyberspace are not always easy to prosecute. And for a Lake Havasu City man accused of engaging in inappropriate online girlfriend chats with a 14-year-old girl, last week’s decision to dismiss his case came down to a question of jurisdiction.
Mojave County prosecutors filed a motion last week to dismiss the charges against 39-year-old Christopher M. Thomas. He was charged with felonies 16 months before him, including two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of him kidnapping a minor. sexual exploitation. The complaint was filed in Mojave Superior Court last Wednesday, citing California officials’ refusal to prosecute the case and the lack of evidence that the crime was committed in Arizona. .
The exchange of messages and images between Thomas and the victim began in 2020 and may have continued through 2021, according to Lake Havasu City Police. Until Thomas’ wife discovered his alleged activities online.
Police say Thomas’ wife confronted him and Thomas admitted to having an inappropriate conversation with a female online user. She is said to have discovered in September 2021 that the conversation included a 14-year-old girl of hers.
Thomas’ wife reportedly told an acquaintance about her discovery, who informed police investigators. Police spoke with Thomas in an interview at his Lake Havasu City Police Department on September 8 of that year. According to statements Thomas allegedly made, his church leaders encouraged him to give investigators a statement about the incident.
The issue, according to court records, was that Thomas was employed by Pacific Gas and Electric of California at the time. Thomas’ attorney, Mojave County Public Defender Paul Ammann, said in a statement that Thomas’ alleged online communications took place only while Thomas was in California. He requested the matter be dismissed last November on the grounds that he did not have jurisdiction to prosecute.
Mohave Senior Judge Douglas Camacho ordered the lawsuit against Thomas dismissed at a January 6 hearing.
