Rob suspect faced theft case in US

ONE of the two scions of businessmen arrested for theft last Tuesday faces the same case in the US.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it coordinated with the Homeland Security and confirmed that Michael Reyes was facing a theft case in the US.

They said the 29-year-old Reyes failed to attend his hearings so the court issued an arrest warrant against him.

Chief Insp. Romeo Santander, head of the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) also told reporters that Reyes used his brother’s name, Eric, when interrogated by the police.

They were able to confirm that his real name is Michael.

Reyes was arrested for illegal drug possession by the Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG) 7 last year and he also used the name Eric.

Reyes and his friend Edward Teves, 28, were arrested inside an uptown restobar for allegedly stealing a flat screen TV and cable box and remote control from Allure Hotel and Suites in Mandaue City.

The items were recovered from a friend of Reyes in barangay Lorega.

Also seized from the suspects were two .45 pistols and one .357 revolver.

The car they were using was also reportedly stolen from Manila.

Last Wednesday, police filed complaints of illegal possession of firearms, possession of illegal drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia against the two suspects.

They opted to undergo a preliminary investigation which would give them a chance to submit counter-affidavits to refute the allegations.

Asst. City Prosecutor Ernesto Narido gave them 10 days to submit their defenses.

If the prosecutor finds a probable cause against them, charges will be elevated to the court. Otherwise, the complaints will be dismissed.

Two more robbery victims including an Australian national showed up at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) last Wednesday and identified the suspects as the ones who victimized them.

The victims also identified some of the items recovered from the suspects.

Teves’s father visited him at the CCPO stockade yesterday and admitted to reporters that his son is a “victim” of illegal drugs.

The father who requested not to be named asked the police if he could have the wounds in his son’s face treated. He will let Teves’ younger brother, a nurse, visit him and treat his wounds.

Teves sustained bruises when the police arrested them after they allegedly resisted arrest. The father revealed his son started using drugs when he was 15.

He underwent rehabilitation for one year and was released in October last year. Teves is the second of four siblings. His father said Teves’s elder brother was also into drugs.

The father planned to talk to the management of Allure Hotel and Suites for an amicable settlement. Correspondents Chito Aragon and Rhea Ruth V. Rosell and Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol