German, accused of taking cop’s phone, charged

Theft case filed against German woman caught stealing cop’s cell phone in Mandaue police station

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Policemen filed a theft case against a 69-year-old German tourist, who was accused of stealing mobile phones at the Centro Police Station in Mandaue City.

Veronica Engle Weisenberg, who was temporarily billeted in a hotel in Cebu City, was allegedly caught fleeing from the police station with the cell phones that she allegedly took there on Saturday, March 7, 2020, said Police Major Ramil Morpos, Centro Police Station chief.

Morpos said that they filed a theft complaint against the German tourist at 4 p.m. on March 9, 2020 at the Mandaue City Prosecutor’s Office, which is located at the Mandaue City Hall of Justice.

He said that the German woman admitted taking the mobile phones because she needed the money.

Morpos told CDN Digital how the tourist ended up at the Centro Police Station detention cell.

How German tourist ended up in cell

Last Saturday evening, March 7, at past 6 p.m., Weisenberg arrived at the Centro Police Station to complain about her husband physically harassing her.

Her husband was allegedly staying at an apartment in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City.

She claimed that the physical harassment allegedly done by her husband happened when she allegedly confronted him in his rented apartment.

She also told police that she had run out of money to pay her rent and to buy food.

So Morpos said they allowed her to stay within the vicinity of the police station, where she could take shelter while she and her husband iron out their differences.

Caught fleeing with cell phones

But at 9 p.m., a cook of the police station noticed that his cell phone that he placed on the table was gone.

When he looked around, he saw the German woman hurriedly leaving the station.

So he followed her to check on her and found out that she was the one who allegedly took his cell phone.

The cook and another policeman brought the German back to the police station where they found out that she also allegedly took a cell phone of a policeman, two chargers and P500 cash.

Morpos said that it was at that time that the German started getting unruly and kept shouting at them.

So he said they arrested her for taking the cell phones and filed the theft complaint at past 4 p.m. today (March 9),

Weisenberg was detained at the Centro Police Station detention cell, but after the filing of the complaint, she was moved to the Mandaue City Police Office holding cell. | dbs