TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A registered American sex offender who went missing for 36 days after entering the country was arrested in Taipei on Thursday (Nov. 7).
On Oct. 11, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) issued a notice stating that a 43-year-old man with a criminal record entered Taiwan on Oct. 2. According to AIT, Levi Forrest Wallace, was convicted in Oregon in 2001 for contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor and was sentenced to 90 days in prison with a two-year probation period.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said that it was not until after Wallace entered Taiwan that it received notice from AIT that he had a criminal record. The agency said it set up a task force to track Wallace.
Wallace entered Taiwan with a tourist visa and was originally registered to stay at a business hotel near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, per FTV News. However, when police went to find him, they found he had not checked in.
Investigators discovered he had booked online a studio apartment in Taipei's Songshan District. At 4 p.m. Thursday, police spotted Wallace in an alley near Minsheng Community Center and arrested him.
The NIA said Wallace would be deported in accordance with Article 18, Paragraph 1 of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法) and barred from future entry, per CNA. The law stipulates that Taiwan can deny entry to foreign nationals who have a criminal record locally.
When questioned by police, Wallace claimed he came to Taiwan for tourism and denied being involved in any illegal activities, per UDN. He said he was surprised that he was being deported for a crime committed over 20 years ago but cooperated with authorities.
During his 36-day stay in Taiwan, Wallace traveled alone to various major attractions in northern Taiwan. He also found a cleaning job near his residence to earn some extra money for living expenses, which is a violation of his tourist visa and punishable by deportation.
On Friday, NIA officers escorted Wallace to the airport, where he boarded United Airlines Flight 872 to San Francisco at 11:10 a.m.