The escape of the American accused of pedophilia in Medellín raises signs of corruption in the Police

The case of the American citizen Timothy Alan Livingston, 36, who was discovered by the Police along with two girls aged 12 and 13 in a luxury hotel in Medellín on Holy Thursday, has become the manifestation of a problem as big as complex. Still in the midst of the indignation that the event itself has aroused and the subsequent departure of Livingston from Colombia without answering for his actions, now the Attorney General's Office has announced an investigation into possible irregularities against the police officers who released the man, who, given the opportunity, boarded a plane to Florida (United States) on Friday.

This Tuesday, the control body announced the investigation against a still undisclosed number of officials belonging to the Police of the Metropolitan Area of ​​the Aburrá Valley “for alleged irregularities in the capture and transfer procedure” of Livingston, accused of abusive carnal access. with two minors. The entity adds that “possible irregularities in the procedures” carried out by the public servants who were in charge of the custody of the American will be analyzed, apart from the actions for verification and capture for the possible crime or a possible omission in the efforts for that.

The Attorney General's Office also does not rule out the possibility that more people, members of other State entities, may have participated in Livingston's release: “The police officers could have committed disciplinary offenses, but it will be investigated whether it is necessary to link or determine the existence of “more people assigned to other entities, who could also participate in the events that allowed the alleged aggressor to subsequently leave Colombia for the United States,” says a statement. Although the main indication points to a possible disciplinary offense, it is not ruled out that the events were beyond his responsibility.

New details about the discovery at the hotel

According to the story of a worker at the Gotham hotel, where the events occurred, Livingston took advantage of the security guard's shift change, around four in the morning on Thursday, to enter the place with the two girls. according to the newspaper Time. The employee also assured that the Police discovered the man and the two girls dressed in bathing suits in the room's jacuzzi. In addition, he says that there were marijuana cigarette butts, traces of tusi – a drug known as pink cocaine – and several used condoms at the scene. Even with this evidence, police officers did not present Livingston to the Prosecutor's Office.

However, a security video has also emerged in which the two girls are seen entering the hotel elevator and saying goodbye to someone who cannot be identified (presumably Livingston) before starting to count some bills. They were not accompanied by any police officer. As seen in the information in the images, this occurred at 5:23, almost an hour and a half after the moment in which, according to the testimonies, the American took advantage of the absence of a guard to enter Gotham.

Hours before, on the night of March 27, Livingston had already tried to enter the hotel with two companions who identified themselves as adults. However, a guard, suspecting that they were actually minors, prevented them from entering. The Casacol group, owner of the Gotham hotel, assured that the American “mocked and violated” the security protocols, and assured that all reservations to enter the tourist home are made through the Airbnb platform, in which, it says, They require users to accept policies against sexual tourism, child exploitation and drug consumption.

Public knowledge of Livingston's alleged abuse has made the problem of sex tourism in Medellín much more visible and has made it a more momentous issue. On Monday, after the scandal that lasted all weekend, the city's mayor, Federico Gutiérrez, defined this case as “the tip of the iceberg” of a much more complex reality, and announced two decrees with which he seeks to protect the people who are victims of the human trafficking network that, he said, operates in the El Poblado neighborhood. These decrees prohibit the offer of sexual services in that area of ​​Medellín for six months and limit the hours of bars and establishments that sell liquor until one in the morning for one month.

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