Sunday, January 13, 2008 Rookie cop accused of harassing vendor
A ROOKIE policeman detailed at the Carbon Police Station in Cebu City was accused of pointing a gun at a sidewalk vendor along Magallanes St. last Wednesday night.
PO1 Ervin Adling of the Regional Mobile Group 7, who was on detailed status at the police station, has been disarmed and is facing an administrative probe for possible grave misconduct.
Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comen-dador, in a news conference yesterday, said he will also ask the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 to recall and end the assignment of Adling and send him back to his mother unit in Sibonga, Cebu.
Investigation
“I can’t afford to have him here nga mohatag lang og labad sa ulo (only to give us a headache),” Comendador said.
He said he directed Carbon Police Station Chief Eliseo Castronuevo to conduct the investigation and submit his findings that will be used as basis in requesting PRO 7 to terminate Adling’s assignment.
“Due process will be accorded to him. Pointing of a gun is tantamount to grave misconduct, which is punishable by dismissal,” he said.
Castronuevo, in a telephone interview, said the incident occurred past 11 p.m., when Adling approached Elias C. Tabuco, a security guard but does part-time business by selling cellular phones in the sidewalk.
Adling, a member of the beat patrol, was walking along the road to go home when a woman sought his help.
The woman, whose name Adling failed to get, claimed that her stolen cellular phone was displayed by one of the vendors. She allegedly pointed to Tabuco.
Adling approached Tabuco, introduced himself as a police officer, and told the latter that he had the woman’s phone.
A confrontation occurred, prompting Adling to pull out his gun.
Negative liquor test
Tabuco grappled for the gun but Adling managed to hold it tightly and arrested the vendor.
The woman, on the other hand, ran away leaving the policeman behind.
Castronuevo said Tabu-co filed an incident report at the Carbon Police Station.
Tabuco said Adling, together with a woman, approached him and pointed a gun at him for no reason.
Tabuco tried to grapple for the gun, and he and Adling ended up wrestling for it.
According to Tabuco, Adling reeked of liquor during the incident, but an examination on him tested negative.
Castronuevo said he is still getting more details on the incident. (JST)
