ROMAN Č, an alleged bank robber who escaped from police custody in January, is again behind bars. After more than four months of searching, police detained him in Bratislava on May 26, the SITA newswire reported.
He was observed near Hrušková Street in Bratislava's Rača district, where his partner lives, on Monday evening. After being involved in a car accident he tried to escape from police by climbing a tree.
The Bratislava III Regional Court sent the alleged robber back into custody on May 27.
Roman Č allegedly robbed a bank in Bratislava on January 3 and stole almost Sk170,000 (€5,500). Police originally arrested him at his home on January 9. He faced life imprisonment, if found guilty, because of Slovakia's "three strikes, you're out" law.
On January 16, two policemen took Roman Č to Kramáre hospital in Bratislava on suspicion of appendicitis. He fled through a toilet window after undergoing medical examinations. The policemen did not report his escape for more than an hour, seriously complicating the search.
Roman Č denies committing any crimes.
"I have not been in that bank in whole my life," he told the court.