KANAGAWA (TR) – A 43-year-old convict who remains at large after fleeing from prosecutors in the town of Aikawa earlier this week was seen using a pay telephone shortly after taking flight, police said on Friday, reports TBS News (June 21).
At around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, seven members of law enforcement, including two police officers and five staff members from the Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s Office, attempted to apprehend Makoto Kobayashi at a residence. However, the convict fled the scene after producing a knife.
Kobayashi was then seen traveling in a black Honda Fit sedan on the Tomei Expressway in the direction of Nagoya. The vehicle was later found abandoned about 7 kilometers from the residence.
In the latest development, Kobayashi was seen in footage taken from a security camera at a convenience store in the Tsumadaminami area of Atsugi City at around 6:30 p.m. that same day. In the footage, he uses a pay telephone for about 20 minutes.
Beforehand, Kobayashi asked a clerk at the convenience store for 100-yen coins to insert into the telephone, police said.
Police also revealed on Friday that a search of the residence conducted by prosecutors the day before revealed at least one syringe that showed traces of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs.
Theft, trespassing and inflicting bodily harm
Kobayashi stands 171 centimeters tall. At the time of his escape, he was wearing a white cap, white t-shirt and shorts. After he fled, police publicly released a portrait photograph of him.
Last September, the Odawara branch of the Yokohama District Court handed Kobayashi a three-year, eight-month prison term for theft, trespassing, inflicting bodily injury and violating the Stimulants Control Law. The defense appealed the ruling. However, the Tokyo High Court upheld the ruling on February 8.
Police are seeking the whereabouts of Kobayashi, who was placed on a nationwide wanted list on Thursday, on suspicion of interfering with the duties of a public servant.
