More police charged in prison burning deaths

Charges were filed Friday, February 25, against another four police officers linked to the burning deaths of five inmates in a juvenile detention center.

Charged were sub-lieutenant Ángel Batista, sergeants Luz María Padilla and Darío Caballero and officer Eduardo Valdés.
Their arrests brought the number of police charged to nine. In addition three are Prison Director Iris Cedeño and guards Guillermo Ábrego and Alexander De Gracia have been charged in the homicide investigatioon The five officers previously charged were deputy commissioner Luis Ortega, sub-lieutenant Ernesto Blake, corporal Eduardo Barreno and officers Joel Rodríguez and Maikol González.
Five youths died and two others were seriously injured in the fire in Tocumen. Videos of police officers standing by while the prisoners locked in a cell, screamed for help, were shown around the world.
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