Torres pleads not guilty to bank robbery charges

Suspected robber Rey Torres yesterday entered a plea of not guilty in connection with the robbery of Penbank in barangay Bulacao, Talisay City on April 8.

The now one-legged Torres, who leans heavily on his crutches, appeared before the Regional Trial Court Branch 5 together with his lawyer, Anabelle Robles, of the Public Attorneys' Office for the arraignment of his case.

Torres, who is presently detained at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center, had his left leg amputated due to infection caused by the wounds he sustained during a shootout prior to his arrest on June 14 in Zamboanga del Sur.

The city's once most wanted person was accused of carting away over P854,000 from Penbank's cashier Laura Tan, who was riding a tricycle together with fellow bank employees, messenger Jennifer Bartilic and security guard Dindo Bermejo.

The three positively identified Torres as the one who grabbed the white bag containing the cash. Because of the absence of an armored van, the victims hired a tricycle to deposit the money to the nearby RCBC bank in Barangay Bulacao. But before they arrived, Torres' group, riding motorcycles, allegedly stopped them and forcibly took the bag from Tan.