Man convicted of child sex crime went on the run and became teacher in Mexico, feds say
A man convicted of a child sex crime hid from U.S. authorities and later became a teacher in Mexico, officials said.
Now, 58-year-old Brad A. Hatter has been caught and taken back to Georgia after five years on the run, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Officials in a news release didn’t list attorney information for Hatter, who returned to the United States on Sunday, Dec. 4.
The case dates back to December 2005, when officials said Hatter was arrested in Gwinnett County “for attempting to meet a 9-year-old girl for sexual activity. Hatter organized this encounter online and then went to the planned rendezvous location, where he was apprehended.”
More than a year later, he reportedly was “convicted of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.” He was released from prison in September 2017 and was required to check in with a probation officer and register as a sex offender.
But in January 2018, he stopped checking in and registering, which sparked an international search, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals Service said it received a report that Hatter had gone to the Philippines before he was tracked to Mexico. He reportedly was working as a teacher before he was caught Dec. 3.
“Since 2018, Mr. Hatter has been looking over his shoulder, knowing one day Deputy United States Marshals would find him,” Thomas Brown, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District Of Georgia, said in the news release. “On Saturday December 3rd, that day arrived. The U.S. Marshals would not give up their hunt.”
Officials didn’t say whether Hatter faces charges and didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Dec. 5.
Gwinnett County is northeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published December 5, 2022 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Man convicted of child sex crime went on the run and became teacher in Mexico, feds say."
