US child sex offender arrested in Battambang

A convicted American child sex offender was arrested by local police and the FBI at a restaurant in Battambang town on Friday, an official said.

Provincial Police Chief Sar Thhet said his forces had been working with the FBI for nearly two years to find Robert Boehnlein. “We just cooperated and brought police to where the suspect was,” Thhet said, adding that he “was always off and on in Battambang and Siem Reap”.

Boehnlein was convicted of sodomy and indecent acts with a child under the age of 16 in Texas in 2002. According to records from the military court, Boehnlein had sexually abused his daughter for years. A Louisiana sex offender registry said Boehnlein was released in 2011 and was wanted for moving without notifying authorities.

US State Department spokesman Arend Zwartjes declined to provide details but said in an email that the US government and its law enforcement agencies “are proud of the ongoing cooperation we enjoy with Cambodian authorities in combating international crime”.

Contact authors: Kong Meta and Daphne Chen

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