Jail escapee recaptured after more than a year

CEBU, Philippines - A fugitive who bolted from the Cebu City Jail more than a year ago was arrested by the Oslob police Thursday afternoon after he was sighted in Barangay Bonbon where he was reportedly hiding.

The escape of attempted murder suspect, Arnel Pajaron Beralde, 25, of Barangay Don Andres Soriano, Toledo City, in December 2011, caused the relief of Jail Supt. Maria Victoria Jimenez, acting warden of Cebu City Jail.

Insp. Alejandro Batobalonos, Oslob police chief, said Beralde who was detained at the Bureau of Jail and Penology in Dipolog City, was released from jail last Monday after his robbery case was dismissed.

Beralde reportedly hid in Dipolog City after his escape.

Batobalonos said Beralde was reportedly seen by a concerned citizen sitting at a fair or “peryahan” which prompted the police to conduct an operation around 5:00 p.m.

Beralde tried to resist the arrest and claimed he had a release order issued by the court. However, this did not stop the police from arresting him after he failed to show such.

Oslob police formally turned over Beralde to Calub yesterday morning.

Beralde was detained at the CCJ in November 11, 2011 and escaped a month later, which caused the relief of Jimenez. Jimenez was then replaced by Jail Supt. Johnson Calub two days after the incident.

Batobalonos said that Beralde, a former security guard, was accused of shooting a neighbor.

He reportedly bolted from prison after suspecting that his wife might be having an affair with another man because he heard a man answer his wife’s phone.

Beralde jumped from the rooftop, climbed the secondary fence and jumped again. He went up a mound before getting on top of the roof of the searching area near the gate, hid among the plants and escaped.  (FREEMAN)