Retired police major convicted for slander arrested
A RETIRED police major convicted for a 2017 slander case by a Tuguegarao City court was arrested by agents of the Philippine National Police – Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, PNP-IMEG director Brig. Gen. Warren F. De Leon said yesterday.
Retired Maj. Arthur C. Sto. Tomas was placed under arrest on the strength of a warrant issued last Thursday by Judge Racquel Reyes-Aglaua of the Tuguegarao City Municipal.
Members of the IMEG Luzon Field Unit under Lt. Col. Joseph Fajardo, with the help of the Tuguegarao City Police Station, served the warrant of arrest against the 49-year-old accused in his residence in Cataggaman, Nuevo in Tuguegarao City.
The ex-cop was temporarily detained at the Tuguegarao City police lock-up facility pending the return of the warrant of arrest to the issuing court.
“Wala tayong sasantuhin dito, mataas man o mababa ang katungkulan ng isang pulis, aktibo man o retirado. Hanggat sila ay may paglabag o pinaghahanap ng batas, ang PNP-IMEG ay hindi titigil na tugisin at ikulong ang mga iilang miyembro ng kapulisan na patuloy pa din na dumudungins sa organisasyon,” De Leon said.
Court records showed that the accused, who was formerly assigned as a team leader of the Explosives and Ordnance Disposal Unit of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 2 in Cagayan Valley, was convicted by the Tuguegarao City court for slander.
The case stemmed from a criminal complaint filed against the accused by a local resident when he was still the chief of the Investigation Section of the Tuguegarao City Police Station in 2017.
Accordingly, the accused entertained the complainant in his office but at the height of their conversation, he uttered unsavory remarks at the latter, who was totally pissed off, and decided to file a case against the officer in court.
The case dragged on for nearly six years before the court found the accused guilty of slander and ordered his arrest.
