10 years in hiding: U.S. fugitive caught in Dumaguete City

CEBU, Philippines - A fugitive from the United States of America for the last ten years, may have preferred Dumaguete City as his “retirement and hiding place,” but this was where the road ends for him.

American Thomas Robert Snyder, now 67 years old who hails from the State of Illinois, was arrested on Tuesday (May 13) in one of the restaurants at Barangay Piapi in Dumaguete City by agents from the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. State Department, with diplomatic security personnel and two immigration officers.

They caught Snyder, upon the authority of the warrant for parole violation for sexual assault and for violation of Philippine immigration laws.

Snyder had been transferring residences, from the Cafino Apartment at sitio Madasigon in Brgy. Banilad, and recently at Piñero Subdivison in Brgy. Mangnao, all in Dumaguete City.

According to NBI agent Nicanor Tagle, who was assigned on the case, the U.S. authorities had requested NBI-Dumaguete agent-in-charge Alvin Rebadulla to assist in the search of Snyder.

For the past ten years, they have been looking for Snyder in different parts of the Philippines and finally found him in Dumaguete.

The U.S. fugitive, who was believed to be a pedophile, was convicted in 1994 by the State of Oregon for sexually molesting two male minors. He was sentenced to suffer an imprisonment of 22 years, but was released on parole ten years later. However, he violated the parole condition upon leaving the U.S. for the Philippines in 2004, and had been declared a fugitive since then.

Snyder stayed in Metro Manila for two years; another five years in Mindoro and the last three years in Dumaguete City, where he has been reported to be with male minors.

Further investigations by the NBI disclosed that young males were seen going in and out of his various rented places in the city, although no complaint ever reached the office on the matter.

Tagle said Snyder’s arrest served as a strong warning for pedophiles that are preying on young people in the city and Negros Oriental province. He urged the community to immediately report situations like these.

The U.S. fugitive was brought back to Manila where deportation proceedings are now in progress to repatriate him to his country. (FREEMAN)