TULSA, Okla. — Content Warning: The following article contains descriptions of child sex abuse.
A federal jury convicted a Catoosa man Wednesday for engaging in criminal sexual conduct with three children, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. A fourth victim also came forward and testified at trial.
Garrin Michael Thompson, 48, of Catoosa, was found guilty of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 12 in Indian Country and coercion and enticement of a minor.
“For more than 20 years, Garrin Thompson repeatedly preyed on children. This week, four victims testified in federal court, exposing his egregious crimes. I am thankful they found the courage to come forward to stop him from victimizing another child,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
[ Troy man pleads guilty to abusive sexual contact with minor ]
According to court documents, in March 2022, Thompson took a 10-year-old girl from Catoosa to Tyler, Texas, where he sexually abused her at a hotel. She was attending an athletic competition at the time. Thompson told her that she should keep the incident a secret. Upon returning to Catoosa, she began disclosing the abuse to friends, coaches and family members.
Two people contacted law enforcement to report the child’s allegations on April 14, 2022.
Forensic interviewers conducted interviews with the victim and others to whom Thompson had access. During the interviews, multiple other victims came forward.
Around that time, Thompson sent texts to the mother of several victims discussing the disclosures and had conversations where he offered to seek counseling and suggested that she encourage the victims to remain quiet about the allegations.
A second victim disclosed that she was between four and six years old when Thompson sexually abused her from 2007 and 2009. The victim also said that Thompson would play a “tickle game,” frequently touching the victim on the inner thighs, lower stomach and near her pubic area while she was wearing clothes.
[ Broken Arrow man arrested for hiding cameras in a state park cabin bathroom bonded out of jail ]
A third victim disclosed that from 2000 to 2001, Thompson tried to coerce and entice the victim to engage in sexual activity two times when the victim was between 10 and 12 years old. The victim said that Thompson exposed the victim to pornography, masturbated in front of the victim, and attempted to get the victim to engage in oral sex.
Additionally, another victim was interviewed and also disclosed Thompson’s abuse.
FBI special agents became concerned when they learned Thompson had left his home, fearing he had the financial means to flee and the capability to destroy evidence because of his experience as a software engineer. The Catoosa Police Department searched for the defendant and located his car at a hotel the next morning.
Thompson was arrested as he departed the hotel carrying a passport and various digital media storage devices.
Law enforcement seized the devices, and later, seized more electronic devices from his home. Evidence from the devices revealed that Thompson had a sexual interest in children, including incest.
Agents found searches for videos related to incest involving minors and other sex crimes. They also learned that Thompson placed hidden video cameras in at least two homes where he could capture images of several of the victims and others without clothes.
[ Police arrest Tulsa man accused of indecent exposure at tennis court ]
The FBI and the Catoosa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cheryl L. Baber and Edward Snow prosecuted the case.
In closing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl Baber described how our culture has become desensitized to sexualized language, images and actions but stated that it is society’s responsibility to maintain a sense of right and wrong, especially as it relates to the treatment of children. She then described the wrongs committed by Thompson- the inappropriate tickling games, the intentional exposure to pornography, the attempts to coerce a child to perform oral sex and engage in sodomy, and the aggravated sexual abuse of children. She explained that Thompson’s criminal acts ended the victims’ innocence. She then asked the jury to end Thompson’s claims of innocence by returning a guilty verdict.