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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, November 19, 2007

Hawaii fugitive arrested in Philippines

By Teresa Cerojano
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine immigration agents have arrested an American man who faces criminal charges for allegedly molesting two minors in Hawai'i, the Immigration Bureau said.

Reynaldo Estillore, 48, was arrested Thursday in Bauang town, about 140 miles north of Manila, a statement from the bureau said. He has been charged with 46 counts of sexual assault for allegedly molesting two minors in Hawai'i and will be deported to Hawai'i for trial, the statement said.

Estillore is not listed on either the state's sex-offender registry or in the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center.

The U.S. Embassy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation had requested Estillore's arrest and deportation after being tipped off that he had fled to the Philippines in January with his 5-year-old daughter to evade U.S. prosecution, the statement said.

The Philippine-born Estillore did not resist arrest along a busy Bauang street when immigration agents approached him after he brought his daughter to school, one of the arresting officers said. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing policy.

Estillore's Hawai'i driver's license indicated he was from Lahaina, Maui, the officer said.

Estillore was awaiting deportation at the immigration detention center in Manila, the government statement said. His daughter has been turned over to social workers who have contacted the man's relatives in Bauang, the immigration officer said. It was not yet clear how long it would be before deportation procedures are completed.

The U.S. District Court in Hawai'i issued an arrest warrant for Estillore on Jan. 25, and the U.S. State Department had canceled his U.S. passport, the Immigration Bureau said.

Estillore could get a 20-year jail term for each count of first-degree sexual assault if convicted.