Police prosecute 20 for metal theft

Santo Domingo.- The National Police said on Wednesday thatin the last few months 20 people, including two minors and one Haitiannational, have been sent to justice after being charged with stealing metalfrom bridges and highways across the country. A further nine are being pursuedon suspicion of engaging in similar criminal activities.

A press release from the National Police Public RelationsDepartment provided more details, saying that the accused allegedly stolewires, cables, bars, grilles, tubes and road signs from several highways.

It also named all the accused except for the two minors,whose names were withheld for legal reasons, as JuanDicent Reynoso, 36; Sixto Heredia, 50; Ramón Agustín de Jesús Manzueta, 50; Antoniode la Cruz Paula, 35; Haitian national Pupy Inael, 32; Leibin AntonioEncarnación, 28; Oliver Hernández López, 37; Angel Corcino Quiñones, 49;Omar Francisco de la Cruz Castillo, 23; Nelson Báez Valdez, 47; Félix MonteroMontero, 27; Jonson Corniel Jiménez, 40; Eladio Mercedes, 53; RafaelBatista Francisco (Bobolita), 23; Roberto García Pemberton, 22; Ramón OrtegaReyes (Ramoncito) and Edison Batista Francisco.

One man, LennyAmauris García Pérez, 30, was killed in an alleged exchange of gunfire withpolice agents.

The casesmentioned by the police include an incident involving Dicent Reynoso, Sixto Heredia,de Jesús Manzueta and de la Cruz Paula, who were arrested in the villageof Arenoso in Cevicos municipality, Cotuí, after being caught removing metalobjects from the construction of the bridge over the river Payabo on the borderwith the province of Monte Plata. The four men are from the municipality of Yamasáin Monte Plata.