Police Continue To Track Sexual Abusers
The battle against sexual abusers has continued in the new year, as the Dirección de Investigaciones Especializadas (DIE) - a specialized police unit - arrested fugitive from justice number 3 of the year.

Yesterday's arrest was made in Santo Domingo de Heredia (north of San José) when DIE agents caught with a 54 year old man identified by his last name Rodríguez, who according to DIE director Paul Chavez, had been evading justice for the last nine years.

Rodríguez told television cameras that he was a victim of the lies of his ex-wife, who accused him of sexual abusing their son. The man claims his innocene and swears to God that he never touched the boy.

Chavez says that his plans to hunt and jail sexual abusers will continue and with more intensity, as his goal to put behind bars at least 200 who for some reason or other have been able to slip through the cracks of justice and are at large.

Heavily armed, wearing bullet proof vest and hoods, DIE agents swarm a suspect and take him down with ease and in all cases so far, no use of firepower or violence. Most of those wanted know that sooner or later they will be coming for them and put up no resistance, said Chavez, though he is not taking any chances.

Yesterday's suspect was first arrested in 1997 when he son was only ten years of age at the time. In 1999 a criminal court sentenced the man to six years prison. "The reasons as to why the man was still at large is yet unknown. It is certain that he was evading justice all these years and his name is our persons wanted list", said Chavez.

The man known locally as "vendecopos" is now behind bars.

The DIE also took in fugitive number 4, another sexual abuser who has been able to evade justice for 8 years. The man identified as Soto Duarte, has a pending court date for the sexual abuse of a minor dating back to 1998. Duarte was arrested while working at a construction site in La Union de Cartago.

In a similar action, agents of the Sección de Capturas del Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) put the handcuffs of 45 year old man identified as Luis Castro Marin, who worked, unbelievable in the central offices of the Ministerio de Seguridad Pública (the ministry responsible for the police), who had an arrest warrant against him dating back to last December 23, following a conviction of eight years for the improperly touching a minor.