American fugitive Brad is arrested outside his Phuket home over a Texas family strangulation charge dating from 2022. His passport and Thai stay were revoked as US officials seek his extradition. He faces up to 10 years if convicted.
A four-year-old Texas family violence case has ended with the arrest of a 48-year-old American in Phuket. The suspect, identified only as Brad, faces a third-degree felony charge over the strangulation of a family member. A Texas court issued the warrant in May 2022, while US officials later revoked his passport. The US Embassy then alerted Thai immigration officers, who cancelled his permission to stay and tracked him to Phuket Town. He was arrested outside his Talat Nuea residence with only a copy of his passport. Brad now remains in custody as Thai and US officials coordinate extradition proceedings that could return him to Texas. If convicted there, he faces up to ten years in prison and a US$10,000 fine.
Phuket immigration police have arrested a 48-year-old American wanted in Texas over a family violence case involving strangulation. The suspect, identified only as Brad, was arrested in Phuket Town on September 9. His arrest followed information from the US Embassy in Bangkok. By then, American officials had already revoked his US passport.
The case stretches back more than four years. A Texas court issued an arrest warrant for Brad on May 26, 2022. It concerns an assault on a family member involving strangulation. The victim was described in one account as male. However, further details of the attack have not been released.
Crucially, the offence carries serious consequences under Texas law. Strangling a family or household member can constitute a third-degree felony.
Texas strangulation charge carries up to ten years as Phuket police track wanted American to home
The law covers intentionally, knowingly or recklessly restricting normal breathing or blood circulation. Pressure applied to the throat or neck falls within the provision. Likewise, blocking a victim’s nose or mouth is covered.
Following conviction, a third-degree felony carries between two and ten years in a Texas prison. Additionally, a court can impose a fine reaching US$10,000. The offence is therefore treated more seriously than an ordinary assault causing bodily injury. Brad’s arrest warrant had remained outstanding since May 2022.
Meanwhile, the case eventually reached US officials dealing with the American’s presence overseas. His passport was revoked by American officials. The US Embassy in Bangkok then formally contacted Thai immigration officers. In response, Immigration Division 6 moved against his right to remain in Thailand.
Brad’s permission to stay was revoked under Thailand’s Immigration Act. Phuket Immigration then began hunting for the wanted American. Their investigation led officers to Talat Nuea in central Phuket Town. Eventually, they pinpointed the residence where they believed Brad was staying.
On September 9, a special operations team moved in. Police Major General Adisorn Boonchum, acting commander of Phuket Immigration, led the operation. Officers spotted Brad outside the residence and approached him. They then asked him to produce his passport.
Brad produces only passport copy as Phuket immigration officers confirm identity and take him away
However, Brad could not produce the original document. Instead, he handed immigration officers a copy of his US passport. Officers checked the details and confirmed his identity. At that point, they informed him that his permission to stay had been revoked.
Brad was immediately taken into custody and escorted to the Phuket Immigration Office. There, immigration officers formally informed him of his legal rights. He was then held for further proceedings as Thai officials contacted their American counterparts.
Notably, the Phuket operation followed a formal request from the US Embassy. It was not the result of a routine immigration inspection. Officers were already looking for Brad when they reached the Talat Nuea residence. Moreover, his permission to stay had already been cancelled before officers located him.
At the centre of the operation was the May 26, 2022 Texas warrant. The underlying charge involves assaulting a family member by strangulation. Under Texas law, the method of assault can elevate the offence to felony level. The provision focuses specifically on interference with breathing or blood circulation.
In particular, pressure on the throat or neck falls within the strangulation provision. Obstructing the nose or mouth is also specifically covered. Consequently, the charge can bring a prison term reaching ten years following conviction. A fine of up to US$10,000 can be imposed as well.
Texas court and county remain undisclosed as US officials trace wanted American to his Phuket home
Separately, the information released in Phuket did not identify the Texas county handling the case. The name of the issuing court was also not given. Thai immigration officers have identified the suspect only as Brad. Nevertheless, they supplied the exact date of the Texas arrest warrant.
His movements after May 2022 have not been detailed. Nor has information been released concerning when Brad first entered Thailand. Yet, at some stage, American officials established his presence overseas and cancelled his passport. The case then reached the US Embassy in Bangkok.
As part of this, American officials supplied information which allowed their Thai counterparts to act. Immigration Division 6 revoked Brad’s permission to remain in the kingdom. Phuket officers then traced him to Talat Nuea. The search ended outside his residence on September 9.
Significantly, Brad possessed only a copy of his passport when immigration officers confronted him. His original US passport had already been revoked by American officials. Officers used the available information to confirm they had located the wanted man. They then brought him under Thai immigration custody.
Four-year Texas warrant moves towards extradition after US Embassy helps Phuket officers track Brad
The arrest has now shifted the four-year-old case from a Texas warrant to proceedings in Thailand. Phuket Immigration initially said further legal action would follow. Subsequently, coordination began with US officials over extraditing Brad to the United States.
On another front, his immediate position in Thailand rests on the cancellation of his immigration permission. That action followed the US Embassy’s formal request. His underlying criminal case, however, remains in Texas. The May 2022 warrant remains the foundation of the US proceedings against him.
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If extradited, Brad will return to the United States to face that outstanding case. The charge concerns strangulation during an assault on a family member. Under Texas law, that conduct can amount to a third-degree felony. The maximum prison sentence following conviction is ten years.
For now, the American remains in custody while Thai legal proceedings continue. In parallel, Thai and US officials are coordinating the next steps over his extradition. His passport remains revoked, while his permission to stay in Thailand has been cancelled.
More than four years after the Texas warrant, the case has now reached Phuket. Officers tracked Brad to central Phuket Town after receiving information from the US Embassy. Finally, the operation ended when officers found him standing outside the residence where he had been staying.
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Further reading:
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