Tadashi Kojima also known as Aaron Michael Zeman, is a 26-year-old man from Arizona who was taken into custody in Nebraska on suspicion of kidnapping a 13-year-old boy. It was reported that he met the boy on an internet gaming platform. After authorities allegedly found Tadashi Kojima traveling with the missing child who had been the subject of an Amber Alert, they took him into custody on Wednesday. He was charged with one count each of second-degree felony kidnapping and misdemeanor resisting arrest.
Continue reading the article to know more about Tadashi Kojima as well as all the details related to the case.
About Tadashi Kojima
Tadashi Kojima is a 26-year-old man who is suspected of taking a 13-year-old Layton boy to Nebraska and sparking an Amber Alert.
He is currently facing state and federal charges.
He is named in multiple court documents as both Aaron Michael Zeman and Tadashi Kura Kojima. He was named Zeman in the initial reports, and according to a district court lawsuit, he legally changed his name Tadashi Kojima from Aaron Michael Zeman at some point
Kojima was charged on Tuesday in 2nd District Court with eight charges of selling harmful materials to a minor, a third-degree crime, enticing a minor, and sexually exploiting a minor, both second-degree felonies.
He was accused of kidnapping and transferring an underage for unlawful sexual behavior last week in federal court.
How did Tadashi Kojima meet the boy?
According to police, the 13-year-old was connected with Tadashi Kojima online and went to meet with him late on December 26, 2022, after leaving his house. Kojiama and the boy were found in a car at a gas station in Grand Island, Nebraska, at about 1:15 a.m. on December 28, following the issuance of an Amber Alert.
On November 29, a parent of the teenager informed the Layton police that their son had been communicating with an adult male from Arizona by using the alias “Hunter Fox.” According to the documents, the talks had turned sexual and involved the sharing of obscene images and videos.
According to state and federal charges, the boy said he spoke with “Hunter Fox” via several apps, including Tadashi Kojima Facebook, FaceTime, text messages, Twitter, Telegram, Discord, and Roblox. Investigators said they found the boy had been using an Oculus virtual reality headset to communicate with Tadashi Kojima Twitter before he went missing. The court filings state that his parents were not aware of the device’s capabilities.
According to the charges, Kojima started talking to the boy in October and eventually invited him to go on a date. According to the authorities, the child gave him his address, name, and birthdate and made plans for them to meet in person.
How did the boy get kidnapped?
A sworn probable cause affidavit obtained by Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX states that the victim’s father informed the police that his son had been messaging the man on the online gaming platform Roblox for about three weeks, engaging in “sexual and inappropriate” messaging.
Later on, it was stated that the victim accepted the invitation of Kojima Tadashi Kura to join a Discord discussion. The two allegedly made arrangements for Kojima to pick up the victim from his house through those conversations. In Utah, the legal age of consent is eighteen.
What did the Police do?
An Amber Alert was sent out earlier this week by the Layton City, Utah, Police Department in an attempt to find the victim. According to authorities at the time, the youngster was reportedly traveling with “an adult male stranger using the name Hunter Fox,”. According to the police, the victim, who was believed to be going from Utah to Arizona or Texas, met his kidnapper late on Monday night.
Further information on Kojima’s capture is purportedly provided by LCPD Lt. Travis Lyman, who gave credit to a particularly watchful employee at the Git N Split.
How did the Police find the boy?
The City of Grand Island Police Department has released an arrest report stating that at around 1:56 a.m. on December 28, officers responded to a 911 call concerning a suspicious car at a “Git N Split” gas station situated in the 3300 block of Langenheder Street.
Lt. Lyman told the station, “An alert gas station attendant had actually thought something looked suspicious about the car, and these people that were there at the gas station, called the police department and they responded.”
The attendant at the station reportedly told police that when the white Toyota Avalon came up to one of the station’s pumps, nobody got out of the car. After that, the motorist allegedly turned around and drove down a one-way street in the wrong direction before turning around once more and coming back to the parking lot.
When they arrived at the address, first responders reported that they spoke with the defendant and a male juvenile who were both seated inside a white 1998 Toyota Avalon. It did not take long for authorities to discover that the young boy had been reported missing from Utah.
According to the investigation, “[Kojima] tensed up and started resisting officers from placing cuffs on him when officers told him he was going to be placed under arrest.”
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Where is Tadashi Kojima now?
Tadashi Kojima Arizona is being held for the time being on a $100,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is set to take place at Hall County Court on Monday, January 30 at 2:00 p.m.
According to reports, the victim was unharmed and has now been reunited with his family.
FAQs
1. Who is Tadashi Kojima?
Ans. Tadashi Kura Kojima, 26, also known as Aaron Michael Zeman, is a man who allegedly knowingly and illegally abducted a 13-year-old and took him across state borders to carry out illegal sexual conduct.
2. How did Tadashi Kojima kidnap the boy?
Ans. Tadashi Kojima started communicating with the boy through an online platform and eventually invited him on a date. After a discord discussion, the two made arrangements for a meeting, and the boy provided him with all the details to pick him up.
3. Where did the police find the boy?
Ans. After getting a call from 911 from Git N Split gas station situated in the 3300 block of Langenheder Street about a suspicious car, the police found Tadashi Kojima and the boy seated inside a white 1998 Toyota Avalon.
Conclusion
Overall, Aaron Michael Zeman, also known as Tadashi Kura Kojima is a 26-year-old man who is accused of abducting and sexually exploiting a 13-year-old Layton boy and the case sparked an Amber Alert. The police found the man and the boy seated inside a white Toyota Avalon at the Git N Split, which is close to the Grand Island Regional Medical Center. Tadashi Kojima was taken into custody while the boy was reunited with his family. Kojima is currently being held in the Hall County jail for 10% of a $1 million bond. If found guilty of first-degree sexual assault of a child, the maximum sentence is life in prison. We hope you found this article informative on Tadashi Kojima Aaron Zeman and now you know everything about the kidnapping case.