Hope man escapes from Palau jail
SANDPOINT — Bonner County resident Junior Larry Hillbroom is on the lam after allegedly fleeing a jail in Palau, according to the office of president for the Micronesian republic.
Hillbroom reportedly escaped from the Koror Jail on Thursday. Hillbroom was awaiting trial on charges of methamphetamine trafficking.
Authorities said Hillbroom was talking to a visitor inside the Division of Corrections office when he suddenly bolted out the front door and into a pickup truck that was parked outside the jail. A police officer gave chase, but was injured in the pursuit, the president’s office said in a statement.
The driver of the pickup was identified as Edwin Nakamura, who was arrested on Friday. Hillbroom remained at large and considered to be dangerous due to use of the central nervous system stimulant.
Palau’s Ministry of Justice announced on Wednesday that customs and drug task force agents arrested Hillbroom, 31, at the Palau International Airport in connection with an alleged scheme to import meth.
The arrest was linked to the apprehension of two woman who arrived in the country from Manila, Philippines. Agents searched the alleged couriers and discovered approximately 160 grams of meth that had a street value of $160,000, the ministry of justice said in a statement.
The investigation culminated in the arrest of Hillbroom when he flew from Manila and touched down in Palau.
Hillbroom pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The couriers allegedly tried to smuggle the drugs into Palau using their vaginal canals. An affidavit of probable cause alleged that Hillbroom paid for the women’s airline tickets and he was recorded on the phone acknowledging the importation scheme.
Hillbroom’s bail was set at $500,000 if he posted a surety bond and $250,000 if he put up a cash bond, Palau officials said. They added that high bails were set due to wealth of the defendant and his flight risk.
Hillbroom faces no less than 25 years in prison and no more than 50 if he is convicted.
Hillbroom is an heir to the multi-million dollar estate of Larry Lee Hillblom, co-founder of DHL Worldwide Express. Hillblom disappeared on a flight to Saipan in 1995, according to published media accounts.
Hillblom’s death triggered a series of lawsuits against the estate from children he fathered in various Pacific Ocean nations. The San Francisco Business Times reported that four children, including Hillbroom, were sired by Hillblom. Each of the four children received $90 million settlements, sums which were reduced to about $50 million after taxes and fees.