American pedophile nabbed in Davao

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said 33-year-old Jason Eric Keller was collared inside the BI’s district office on Thursday. (File Photo: Bureau of Immigration, Republic of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — An American pedophile wanted in the United States for child molestation and pornography was arrested by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials in Davao City while applying for an extension of his stay as a tourist in the country.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said 33-year-old Jason Eric Keller was collared inside the BI’s district office on Thursday.

“He seemed unaware that we already have information about his crimes, and that he is already on our watchlist of wanted foreign fugitives,” he said in a statement Friday.

“He will be deported immediately as his presence here poses a serious threat to our children. Afterwards, he will be blacklisted and banned from re-entering the Philippines,” the BI chief added.

Morente said that Keller was issued an arrest warrant by a US district court in Connecticut in December 2018 after he was charged with enticing a child to engage in sexual activity and receiving child pornographic materials.

He noted that last April, the US government sought the BI’s help in locating and arresting him which led to his inclusion in the BI watchlist and filing of deportation charges against him for being an undocumented and undesirable alien.

According to BI Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., the American, who used the alias ‘Eddie Buttered Toast’ last arrived in the country in February 2017.

“He is already an undocumented alien at the time of his arrest due to the cancellation of his passport by the State Department,” he explained.

Keller is being temporarily detained at the holding facility of BI-Davao pending his deportation.