4 convicted American pedophiles nabbed

MANILA, Philippines — Four convicted American pedophiles have been intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration who attempted to enter the country. 

In a statement on Tuesday, October 8, the bureau said the foreign nationals were caught at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on separate dates since mid-September.

The most recent arrest took place on October 3, when 59-year-old Rodney Wendell Mathis arrived at NAIA Terminal 3, riding Thai Airways from Bangkok. Mathis was convicted in 1997 for engaging in lewd acts with a 16-year-old minor.

On September 13, the first interception occurred, when 70-year-old Terry Petersen arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong. 

Petersen was convicted in 1992 by a Wisconsin court for second-degree sexual assault involving a 12-year-old child.

On September 19, 71-year-old Richard Allison Boice was apprehended at NAIA Terminal 1 after arriving on a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo. Boice had been convicted in 2009 for possession of child pornography.

The third case involved 56-year-old Kevin James Bearden, who arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 on September 24 aboard another Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong. Bearden was convicted in 2021 on two counts of child pornography.

As a result of their exclusion, all four men have been blacklisted by the Immigration bureau and are permanently banned from re-entering the Philippines.