By Calvin Cordova
CEBU CITY — A lawyer accused of raping a 13-year-old girl has been arrested after being on the run for a year.
Juril Patiño, who is also a former broadcaster, was arrested on Monday by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office in Central Visayas.
NBI Regional Director Tomas Enrile said Patinno was spotted him with his wife at the Qimonda Justice Hall in the pier area.
“He transfers from one vehicle to another probably to avoid being detected. Our agents spotted his wife disembark from a vehicle and it turned out he was also inside,” said Enrile.
“The case was filed against him in 2017 and an arrest warrant was issued last July 23, 2018. This case has been dragging for more than a year so our agents didn’t stop of trying to find him,” added Enrile.
The warrant against Patiño was issued by Judge Marlon Jay Moneva of the Regional Trial Court Branch 20.
The girl accused Patiño of raping her inside the lawyer’s vehicle on Zamora Street in Barangay Parian on July 4, 2017.
At the time, the girl’s mother worked as the laundrywoman of the manager of the radio station where Patiño used to be one of its anchors.
She said that while on her way home, the lawyer offered her to bring her to the place where she can easily get a ride. But the girl said the lawyer parked his vehicle by the road and raped her.
Patiño denied the accusations.
At the NBI regional office, Patiño refused to comment on his arrest but his wife Lilibeth took to social media to defend him.
“I am appealing to everybody not to judge and condemn my husband. You do not know the story behind this fabricated case against him. I know he is innocent and falsely charged of a crime he could not commit. I know how good he is as a person,” part of the Facebook post read.