It was a mere kiss but it led him to jail.

A Cauayan town resident was sentenced yesterday to a maximum of six years of imprisonment by Kabankalan Regional Trial Court Judge Henry Arles for the crime of acts of lasciviousness.

Court records show that Beltran Sarmiento was charged in court for kissing the lips of a minor in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, in October last year.

Arles said Sarmiento pleaded guilty to the offense as charged.

Also meted a similar jail term was Jonard Zamora who had been charged for the crime of frustrated homicide.

In a 2-page decision, Arles said Zamora, who was armed with a bladed weapon, stabbed a certain Evangelista Gargar on Feb. 11, 1999 in Kabankalan City, and pleaded guilty to the offense, in the presence of his counsel, Jesus Garrucha.

He added that Zamora was apprised of the consequence of his plea of guilty, and that it was done voluntarily on his part, and not through threats, intimidation, or induced by any prize or reward.

On the other hand, Arles acquitted a certain Romeo Ileguison, alias Dodo, for the crime of homicide.

Arles said the prosecution failed to establish the guilt of Ilaguison beyond reasonable doubt.

Court records show that Ilaguison, his brothers Warner and William, and their nephew, Frederick Teorima, were charged with homicide for the death of Sandy Geroche, a fisherman, in Ilog, on Oct. 11, 2002.

Geroche and Romeo were then members of the security personnel of former Ilog Mayor Bobby Vargas.

"There is no evidence that Romeo, who was armed with a .38 caliber, inflicted injury on the victim to hold him liable," Arles said. At the same time, the judge said Dr. Joseph Quijano did not find any gunshot wound in the body of the victim.

It was William and Teorima who attacked the victim, by hitting him with stones and bottles, while Warner hacked Geroche dead, court records show.

Arles who placed the case on archives, said it will be revived upon the arrest of the Ilaguison brothers and Teorima who are now at-large.*GPB

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