Police Who Claimed to Know After Voluntary Accompaniment Actually Aware from Time of Detection
Did Not Arrest but Only Investigated Despite Knowing 'Sex Offender' Status
A man in his 40s wearing an electronic ankle bracelet due to a prior sex crime conviction was caught spying on a female neighbor’s home from an apartment balcony in the so-called 'Pyeongtaek Balcony Intrusion Incident.' It has been confirmed that the police officers who responded to the scene knew about the man’s electronic ankle bracelet but did not arrest him, sparking renewed controversy. Previously, the police did not arrest the man but instead took him in for voluntary questioning and then allowed him to go home, which caused public outcry.
The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Electronic ankle bracelet. Photo by Yonhap News.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency reported on the 6th, according to Yonhap News, that an investigation into the handling of the incident revealed that officers from the Pyeongtaek Police Substation were aware of suspect A’s electronic ankle bracelet from the time of his apprehension, that is, from the moment he was taken in voluntarily on suspicion of trespassing.
A was accused of secretly peeking into the home of a woman, B, on the first floor of an apartment in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, around 10:50 p.m. on the 29th of last month. At the time, he allegedly stepped on the outdoor air conditioner unit and climbed outside the balcony, then tried to enter by opening the outer window of a double-paned window about 10 cm. Inside the home were B and her young children. When B sensed someone’s presence and shouted, “Who’s there?” A fled the scene.
The police who responded to the report reviewed CCTV and vehicle black box footage and identified A as the suspect around 12:20 a.m. the next day, about an hour and 30 minutes after the incident, living in the same apartment complex. When officers came to his home, he confessed to the crime, saying, “Let’s go outside and talk.” The police saw that A, who had been wearing shorts, changed into long pants and noticed an electronic ankle bracelet on one of his ankles. They confirmed that A had a history of sex crimes. However, the police did not make an emergency arrest, judging the case not serious enough, and instead took him to the police substation voluntarily. After a brief investigation, A was allowed to return home.
Initially, the police claimed they only learned about A’s electronic ankle bracelet after taking him in voluntarily, but this was proven false. A police official explained to Yonhap News, “There was a misunderstanding during the fact-checking process with the officers for media response purposes, but there was no intention to lie.” The official added, “The responding officers recognized that A was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet due to a sex crime record, but judged that the urgency was low and that it was not a case warranting emergency arrest.” They also stated, “We are preparing measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.”
After hearing that A, who lives in the same apartment complex, was released from police custody and returning home, B took her young children and fled to another residence. She reportedly expressed anxiety and a desire to move.
The police applied for a pre-arrest warrant for A on the 3rd, five days after the incident, and plan to conduct a detention hearing soon.
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