ABC4 Utah

Arizona kidnapping suspect facing additional charges in Davis County

Courtesy of Grand Island Police Department

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — An Arizona man who was federally charged with kidnapping last week is now facing additional charges in Davis County, Utah, for the same crime.

26-year-old Tadashi Kojima, also known as Aaron Zeman, was federally charged with kidnapping a child on Jan. 25 after he was found with a 13-year-old missing boy from Layton in Nebraska in December 2022.

The Second Judicial District Court in Davis County has charged him with 11 felonies without bail including child kidnapping, enticing a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, and eight counts of dealing in harmful material to a minor, according to court documents.

The suspect reportedly contacted the boy online a couple of months prior and exchanged sexual material with him through a gaming platform, social media and FaceTime. Kojima then asked to date the boy and arranged to meet him in person. The following day, the 13-year-old was missing from his home, according to the probable cause affidavit.

They were both located two days later on Dec. 28, 2022, at a gas station in Nebraska.

Police found written plans to change their identities by obtaining new birth certificates in the vehicle Kojima was driving, the affidavit says.

Kojima continues to face charges in federal court and Hall County, Nebraska.