Cambodia arrests US deserter sought in sex crimes

/ Yahoo | 29 October 2014

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Police in Cambodia said Wednesday they have arrested a man identified by media there as a U.S. Army deserter wanted in the U.S. state of Florida for offenses involving child pornography.

Col. Oum Phy, deputy police chief in northeastern Kratie province, said Michael Edward Harris was arrested there Tuesday at the request of the Interior Ministry, though he did not know why. Interior Ministry officials could not be contacted for more details.

Court documents in Orlando, Florida, show Harris was arrested in February 2013 on 44 counts of possessing child pornography. According to the arrest affidavit, investigators determined that Harris had downloaded to his computer eight files containing child pornography. They executed a search warrant of his home in March 2013 and found a thumb drive with more pornographic images, it said.

Harris posted an $8,400 bond. When he failed to show up for a January 2014 hearing, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Harris' Army superior, Jason Studer, told an investigator he received an email from Harris saying his car could be found in a parking garage at Orlando International Airport. Studer located the car and found that it had been at the airport since Jan. 17, the same day Harris reportedly entered Cambodia, the court documents said.

An English-language newspaper, The Cambodia Daily, reported that Harris had been working as a dog trainer under the alias Michael Dobbs in the seaside town of Sihanoukville, which he fled about two weeks ago when someone identified him.

"We greatly appreciate the help of the Cambodian authorities for their help in apprehending Michael Edward Harris," it quoted U.S. Embassy spokesman Jay Raman as saying.

Harris' ex-wife, Denise Diaz, launched a Facebook page to track down her former spouse. One of her postings said Harris had been a military police officer and a drill sergeant.