An officer who was on duty when a 30-year-old suspect escaped from a police station in Tondabayashi City earlier this year was watching an adult video (AV) clip, it was learned on Thursday, reports Nikkan Sports (Dec. 13).
Between roughly 9:00 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. on August 12, the sergeant, age in his 40s, at the Tondabayashi Police Station viewed the AV clip and read baseball news on his smartphone.
At around 9:45 p.m. that day, police realized that Junya Hida had bolted from the station after a meeting with a lawyer. At the time, there were about 20 officers on duty. However, none of them saw the suspect flee, police said at the time.
Hida subsequently eluded capture for more than one month. Over that term, police leaked numerous theories to media outlets about his activities, including that he had altered his appearance and was committing thefts.
On September 29, an officer apprehended Hida at a roadside shop in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture on suspicion of shoplifting various food items valued at just over 1,000 yen.
Based on a tattoo of a rabbit on the leg of Hida, the officer realized that the suspect was the fugitive who bolted from the Tondabayashi station in August.
In October, police reprimanded seven officers at the station, including the sergeant, over the incident. Among the punishments was reduced pay.
