A young man sentenced to 8 years and 8 months for rape broke his monitoring bracelet and fled before being taken to prison

A 24-year-old man from Poienile de sub Munte, Maramureș County, who was definitively sentenced to 8 years and 8 months in prison for rape, is being sought nationwide after allegedly destroying his electronic bracelet and fleeing on the very day the sentence was handed down.

Police officers from the Leordina Rural Police Section went to his home to detain him and transport him to prison, but the man had disappeared before the officers arrived. According to police, he allegedly cut off his monitoring bracelet and left his home.

Mihai Simoniac was initially placed in pretrial detention for 30 days after allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl last year. The measure was later replaced with house arrest. Although this measure ended on the day of his conviction, the young man did not have the right to remove the monitoring device himself.

The man has been placed on the national wanted list, and his photograph was published on the Romanian Police website. On Thursday, police set up checkpoints in the area where he lived and continue their search. People with information are asked to call the emergency number 112.