American wanted for sex abuse in Texas arrested in Quezon City

Texas
Stacey Thomas, aged 49, is now in BI custody as preparations are made to deport him to Texas, where he will face sex offence charges dating back to August 2010.

The Bureau of Immigration has arrested an American in Quezon City who is wanted for ‘abusive sexual contact’ in Texas.

In a statement issued today (Thursday, August 16) BI Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the fugitive as Stacey Thomas, who was arrested last Friday at his residence in the Fairview district of the city.

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Morente said he issued the mission order for the 49-year-old’s arrest at the request of the US embassy in Manila which sought his deportation to the US so he could stand trial for his crime.

Texas court issued warrant

He disclosed that Thomas is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a US District Court in Western Texas where he was charged with the crime of abusive sexual contact, an offence akin to sexual assault. However, the title of the BI’s announcement shared on Facebook today was “BI agents Nab American Rapist”.

According to this statement, it was learned that Thomas had been included on the FBI’s wanted list since July 2010 when the court warrant was issued against him.

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BI intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo, who heads the bureau’s fugitive search unit, said Thomas was already an undocumented alien due to the cancellation of his passport by the US government.

He added that the American fled to the Philippines in August 2010, barely a month after the arrest warrant against him was issued.

Thomas is now behind bars at the BI’s detention facility in Taguig City pending issuance of the order for his deportation by the bureau’s board of commissioners.

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Earlier this year, it was announced that 2017 had seen a record number of foreign criminals deported from the Philippines. This year, so far, all signs point toward a new record being set.

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