The Toledo City police released at 4 a.m. today the former election officer of the city, lawyer Michael Anthony Sarno, after he was cleared of suspicions that he took out vital documents from the city’s election office.
Supt. Samuel Mina Jr., Toledo City police chief, clarified that Sarno was not arrested but was only invited for questioning after he was seen to have entered the election office sometime around midnight and was seen leaving the building before 1 a.m. today while carrying some documents that he brought to his car.
A Rosseller Layan, 28, and resident of Barangay Poblacion whose house was just a walking distant of the city’s Commission on Elections (Comelec) office, was the one who saw Sarno and immediately reported the matter to the police, which is stationed just meters away from the Comelec office.
Layan is a known supporter of Mayor John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña, who is seeking reelection in May as an independent candidate.
Mina said they brought Sarno to the station as supporters of the opposing political camps of Osmeña and his opponent for the mayoral race, Aurelio Espinosa, had began to gather outside of the Comelec office.
Mina said he immediately informed the current city city officer, lawyer Galardo Escobar, who in turn went to the police station and verified that the documents taken by Sarno were not related to the coming national and local elections on May 9 and were just private files.
Escobar took over from Sarno only two weeks ago. Sarno has been was assigned to Cebu City as part of the nationwide reshuffle of election officers usually done by the Comelec prior to the holding of an elections.
Sarno’s private vehicle, a silver SUV, was also opened and thoroughly checked with the consent of Sarno and in the presence of the supporters of Osmeña and Espinosa, said Mina.
It was only after then that Sarno was able to leave, added Mina.