FUGITIVE COUPLE WERE CHILD SEXUAL PREDATORS; ARRESTED
Special Agent in Charge John E. Lewis, Phoenix Field Office of the FBI, announced today, October 12, 2006, the arrests of Leon Alexander Colman, age 37, and his wife Daphane Lynn Colman, age 36, for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution.
The Colmans were previously charged by the Apache County Attorney’s Office with numerous counts of Sexual Contact with Minors, Public Sexual Indecency, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Custodial Interference. At the time of the charges, Daphane Colman was the principal of the Renaissance Academy located in Springerville, Arizona and her husband Leon Colman was a teacher at the Renaissance Academy.
The Colmans, who had been released on a $500,000 bond, were scheduled for a court appearance on January 27, 2005 in Apache County concerning these charges. However, they failed to appear and bench warrants of Failure to Appear were issued for their arrests. On January 28, 2005, the FBI initiated a fugitive investigation for the pair and federal warrants of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution were also issued for their arrests.
After an intense investigation, the couple was located in Mexico City, Mexico residing under the aliases of Allen and Terri Benjamin. FBI agents of the Pinetop-Lakeside Resident Agency and Los Angeles Division, Police Officers of the Eager Police Department, Investigators of the Apache County Attorney’s Office, and FBI agents in the Mexico City, Mexico Legal Attaché Office coordinated with Mexican Officials to take the Colmans into custody.
The Colmans were successfully transported out of Mexico and arrived in Los Angeles about 1:00 am this morning. SAC John E. Lewis of the FBI stated, “The FBI appreciates the opportunity to assist local law enforcement in this capacity and it is a relief that individuals such as these, who would prey upon children within the school system, are in custody.” |
