By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A former police officer was recently arrested after operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) served him an arrest warrant for alleged violation of the Commission on Elections gun ban in 2010.

Police identified the arrested suspect as 52-year-old Dante Victor Escorpion, a former police officer of the rank Senior Police Officer 1 and resident of Sitio Pasil in Barangay Mambulac, Silay City.

CIDG-Negros Occidental head, Police Lt. Colonel Luke Ventura, said Escorpion was arrested after a concerned citizen notified them that he was at the Bacolod City Hall of Justice attending a court hearing.

He said Escorpion is one of Police Regional Office-6’s high-value targets and is allegedly the leader of the Escorpion gun-for-hire group.

The embattled cop is also reportedly connected with the Cuadra gun-for-hire group.

In a follow-up radio interview with Radyo Bandera-Bacolod yesterday morning, Escorpion denied the allegations.

The former police officer explained he left the force to become a private investigator for a local company as it offered a better salary.

He also admitted to being convicted for violating the 2010 gun ban but the case of illegal possession of firearms, which was filed in the same year, was junked.

Escorpion added, he is planning to file a motion for reconsideration over his gun ban violation case./DGB, WDJ