AN American septuagenarian pedophile who hid in the country for more than two years to avoid imprisonment for sexual offenses in the United States was nabbed in Angeles City, the Bureau of Immigration said.
Donald Steward Hammond, 77, was arrested at the Oasis Hotel in Angeles City upon the request of the US embassy in Manila which sought the fugitive’s arrest and deportation to the US.
Immigration commissioner Jaime Morente said Hammond had been hiding in the country since April 26, 2014 when he arrived in Manila as a tourist.
“Hammond was an undocumented alien when arrested as his passport was already canceled by the US government. We will deport him as soon as the BI board of commissioner issues the order for his summary deportation. He will then be placed in our blacklist and banned from reentering our country,” the BI chief said.
The Broward County court in Florida issued a warrant of arrest against Hammond but had fled the US after being convicted and registered as sex offender. His conviction on 15 counts of sexual offenses allegedly stemmed from his being caught in possession of pictures “showing sexual performance by a child.”