Joel Sepulveda Soto, a 29-year-old man convicted of gender violence charges who was in a rehabilitation program under electronic supervision, was arrested again on Wednesday after removing his ankle monitor and escaping from the rehabilitation center, the Puerto Rico Police press office reported in a preliminary report. The incident is registered as having occurred on June 29 in the Buena Vista neighborhood, where Sepulveda Soto allegedly removed the electronic bracelet and fled the facility.
He was captured and taken to the Aguadilla Correctional Complex. The Bayamón Prosecutor’s Office charged him with tampering with an electronic ankle monitor, causing damage to the device, escape, and property damage, all offenses under the Penal Code. After reviewing the evidence, Judge Aida E. Meléndez Juarbe, of the Bayamón Court, found probable cause for arrest and set bail at $300,000.
Police did not say whether Sepulveda Soto paid the required amount, nor the date of his preliminary hearing.