COPPER THEFT UPDATE!

John Santos is seen after a bail hearing yesterday. Photo by Cherrie Anne Villahermosa Marianas Variety.

CNMI News
Thursday November 22, 2007
Son of police officer arrested for copper wire theft
By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa Variety News Staff
THE 18-year-old son of a police officer was arrested on Tuesday after he was caught at the La Fiesta III building in San Roque with individuals who were loading copper wire into a pick up truck.
John Santos Jr., the son of Sgt. Bernard Santos, Department of Public Safety’s Boating Safety Section commander, was brought to Superior Court yesterday morning for a hearing.
The police detective who arrested the suspect was called to testify yesterday before Associate Judge David A. Wiseman to determine if there was probable cause to arrest and charge Santos Jr. with the offense of burglary and theft.
Wiseman, after hearing the testimony of the detective, said there was probable cause to arrest Santos Jr. and ordered the defendant to be placed under house arrest.
Wiseman allowed Santos Jr. to post a $10,000 appearance bond and be released from custody through a third party custodian, Sgt. Hillary Tagabuel.
Wiseman ordered the defendant not to leave his house without his third party custodian or his father.
Santos Jr. was ordered to stay away from his co-defendants Roland Kaipat, 26; Vicente Kaipat, 27; and Jeff C. Magofna, 26.
Assistant Attorney General Melissa Simms said the government would not object if Santos Jr. was released from the custody because he has been very cooperative in the ongoing investigation.
Sgt. Santos told the court that a private lawyer will be hired to defend his son.
Sgt. Santos declined to comment further.
Sgt. Tagabuel said the defendant is a “good man.”
DPS spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said the police detective was doing a routine patrol at the La Fiesta III building in San Roque on Tuesday at 1 p.m. when he saw a green Toyota pick-up truck parked near the La Fiesta III building and two men loading rolls of copper wire into the bed of the truck.
When the officer approached the individuals, the two suspects fled on foot along with another suspect who was in the building.
The responding officer was able to detain a fourth suspect who was identified later as John T. Santos. At the time of the incident, he was acting as a lookout.
Police discovered that a quantity of copper wire had been cut from the location.
The detective in his testimony yesterday said that they recovered 15 rolls of copper wire from the truck.
DPS said the three other suspects have not yet been arrested and are still at large.
Anyone having information about this crime should call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 234-7272. All calls are kept anonymous, no caller ID is used and a reward of up to $1,000 is given for any information leading to an arrest.

Ex-principal gets 5 months

mv- Local Wednesday, November 21, 2007 By Ferdie de la TorreReporter

Former Kagman High School principal Doreen M. Tudela was sentenced yesterday to five months in prison in connection with charges that she stole the school's sale of pizzas worth over $37,000.

Tudela pleaded guilty to issuance of bad checks.Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman sentenced Tudela to five years in prison, all suspended except for five months. Wiseman gave the former principal credit for one day that she spent in jail.He ordered Tudela to start serving the five-month prison term at the Department of Corrections in Susupe on Dec. 15 at 8am. After completing her sentence, Tudela will be placed on supervised probation.The judge required the defendant to write a letter of apology to Kagman High School students and pay to have the letter published in the Saipan Tribune and Marianas Variety.Wiseman required the defendant to perform 500 hours of community work service and pay a $1,000 fine, $25 in court assessment fee plus probation fees.Pursuant to the Commonwealth Code, Wiseman said, Tudela shall be prohibited from being employed by the CNMI government for 10 years from the date of her conviction.He said a government employee convicted of stealing government funds must do time in prison in order to send a message to others that such corrupt conduct cannot and will not be tolerated.“However, such sentencing is subject to reduction where mitigating factors are found to be present. After a thorough examination of the facts of this case, the court finds that mitigating factors are present,” Wiseman said.He said Tudela has taken full responsibility for her actions and offered to make restitution and did in fact do so in the sum of $37,000.Wiseman said Tudela has no criminal record and has expressed sincere remorse for her actions.He said the defendant has also cooperated with the government regarding other cases of alleged violation of laws.“It is for these reasons, as well as defendant's lack of contact with the criminal system and considering the terms and conditions of the plea agreement that the court believes it to be in the best interests of justice to accept it,” the judge said.Police arrested Tudela in June 2007 after a Public Auditor's investigation showed that, as principal of KHS, she allegedly obtained $37,000 that belonged to the school over a three-year period and used the money for her own needs.The Attorney General's Office initially charged Tudela with one count of theft, two counts of issuance of bad checks, and one count of misconduct in public office.Tudela had initially pleaded innocent of the charges but changed her plea yesterday on the charge of passing bad checks. The AGO dismissed three of the charges and proceeded with the single charge of issuance of bad checks.At the change of plea hearing, Wiseman said he reluctantly accepted the plea agreement.“I use the word reluctantly because this court believes that a great harm to any society or community is corruption in any form and especially in the form of a breach of the public trust that is vested in employees working for the government,” he said.The judge said corruption undermines faith in public institutions, and takes away valuable resources aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens.Public auditor investigator Rolando G. Decena said in court papers that Tudela confessed she used her position as then KHS principal to steal the money for her “personal use.”Decena said Tudela voluntarily signed a statement and submitted it to OPA.“During my term as school principal, I do hereby admit to requesting and receiving monies from the non-appropriated school funds under the administration ledger account,” said Tudela in her statement.The defendant also stated that the monies were used to help with her family's cost of living and financial problems as her husband had lost his job.“What I did was wrong and I want to do what is right by admitting the truth in this statement and by paying back all monies to the school,” she said.According to Decena the investigation started after OPA received a complaint from an anonymous caller in November 2006.The caller requested that Tudela be investigated for stealing the collection of rental from a concessionaire of the KHS Student Canteen from 2002 until she transferred to the PSS' central office for another position in 2006.OPA learned in December 2006 from then new KHS principal, Alfred Ada, that Barny's Pizza and Kalayaan are the two businesses that have a contract with the Public School System to serve lunches for KHS students at the school cafeteria.

EPA sanctions defunct Tan garment factory

By Gemma Q. CasasVariety News Staff ... mv 110807

THE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is imposing a fine of up to $27,500 per day of violation on what was one of Saipan’s major garment factories for improper storage and handling of paint thinner and solvents at its site.The violation was first discovered in March 2004, and the defunct factory’s parent company, Tan Holdings Corp., could end up paying millions of dollar in fines.But Steven P. Pixley, chief legal counsel for Tan Holdings and general counsel for Concorde Garment Manufacturing Corp., said the violations occurred three and a half years ago.He said there are doubts about whether what the EPA inspectors found at the factory site was actually an environmental hazard.“Concorde is concerned about environmental issues,” he said in a statement. “Concorde has fully cooperated with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding this investigation.”“Based upon scientific testing information provided to Concorde by a private environmental consulting firm, there are questions about whether the materials observed by the EPA inspector were hazardous,” he added.According to the EPA, inspectors found 15 to 20 large plastic trash bags filled with open and leaking containers of solvent outside the Concorde facility.The EPA said this violates federal regulations requiring facilities to properly manage and dispose of hazardous wastes.“All facilities that handle used solvents must properly contain, manage and dispose of their wastes. Failure to do so jeopardizes the safety of the community, workers and the environment,” a statement from Nancy Lindsay, acting waste division director for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region, reads.“In this case, the company decided to ignore the rules,” she added.The solvent bags should have been marked and the factory employees should have been trained to properly dispose of them, she said.The EPA said hazardous chemicals are not only a potential threat to the environment but to the people who work around them as well.“The hazardous waste must be properly disposed of and transported with an EPA hazardous waste shipping manifest,” said Lindsay.Concorde produced clothing from 1983 until its closure in Dec. 2006.

2 robberies in Kannat Tabla

By Cherrie Anne E. VillahermosaVariety News Staff mv-110707

TWO robberies occurred on Saturday night, one in Kannat Tabla and one in Koblerville.DPS spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said the suspects who robbed the Clara Market in Kannat Tabla wore a Santa Claus hat and red mask. The incident was reported to the police at 8:54 p.m.She said the suspects were not armed.A preliminary investigation disclosed that while the female cashier was stocking items in the store, the two suspects entered the store, grabbed the cash register and immediately fled south on foot.The cashier ran outside to a nearby neighbor to call for police assistance.The suspect with the Santa Claus hat was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and short pants while the suspect in the red mask was wearing a blue shirt and black short pants.Both suspects were slim, DPS said.The second robbery incident was reported to the police at 11 p.m.Police officers were dispatched to Hannam Market to investigate, and based on a preliminary investigation, the victim, a 32-year-old woman, was driving south along Kelaguin Street when two men standing on the road stopped her.One of the suspects was a heavy set individual wearing a black shirt and black short pants, He asked the victim why she was “speeding” and asked for her drivers’ license.The victim produced her license and handed it to the suspect.After the suspect returned the license to the victim, the other suspect, a slim man wearing a white shirt and brown short pants, grabbed the bag from the victim.The two suspects immediately fled on foot, turning east along Tinaktak Avenue.The bag contained cash and an immigration entry permit card.Ogumoro said the two incidents are still under investigation.Anyone with information about these incidents can call Crime Stoppers at 234-7272.No caller ID is used and a reward of up to $1,000 is given for any information leading to an arrest.

Police arrest armed robbery suspect

By Cherrie Anne E. VillahermosaVariety News Staff mv-110707

POLICE have arrested the masked individual who robbed Jenny’s Store in Dandan last month.Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said Anthony Campos Jr., 20, was arrested in Koblerville at 5:35 p.m. on Saturday by DPS Criminal Investigation Bureau investigators.Tips provided to Crime Stoppers led to the identification of the suspect, Ogumoro said.Police have also identified the second suspect — John Mafnas.Superior Court Judge David A. Wiseman issued a warrant of arrest for Campos on Saturday.Yesterday, Campos was brought to Superior Court for a bail hearing before Judge Kenneth Govendo.Assistant Attorney General Joseph Taijeron asked the court to increase the $50,000 cash bail to $150,000, which Govendo granted.Campos, who is on bail release for other criminal charges, was remanded to the custody of the Department of Corrections.His preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. and arraignment was scheduled for Nov. 19 at 9 a.m.Ogumoro said they are thankful to the community for providing information that led to the arrest of Campos.She said they are hoping to get more information regarding other crimes.The armed robbery at Jenny’s Store in Dandan was the third in October.The incident was reported to the police at 8 p.m. on Oct. 24.The suspect wore a blue ski mask and a grayish, long-sleeved shirt and black short pants and was armed with a machete when he entered the store.The second suspect, John Mafnas, was seen waiting outside the store holding a baseball bat. According to an affidavit filed in court, a minor saw a baseball bat, wig and mask in the back of a vehicle belonging to Campos and heard rumors that it was Campos and Mafnas who robbed Jenny’s Store.The investigators interviewed Mafnas who, according to the affidavit, signed a statement admitting the crime.Other armed robberies happened at Classic Design Mart in Koblerville, Marianas Resort in Marpi and Kim’s Market on Navy Hill.

Two robberies on Saturday

By Cherrie Anne E. VillahermosaVariety News Staff mv-110707

TWO robberies occurred on Saturday night, one in Kannat Tabla and one in Koblerville.DPS spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said the suspects who robbed the Clara Market in Kannat Tabla wore a Santa Claus hat and red mask. The incident was reported to the police at 8:54 p.m.She said the suspects were not armed.A preliminary investigation disclosed that while the female cashier was stocking items in the store, the two suspects entered the store, grabbed the cash register and immediately fled south on foot.The cashier ran outside to a nearby neighbor to call for police assistance.The suspect with the Santa Claus hat was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and short pants while the suspect in the red mask was wearing a blue shirt and black short pants.Both suspects were slim, DPS said.The second robbery incident was reported to the police at 11 p.m.Police officers were dispatched to Hannam Market to investigate, and based on a preliminary investigation, the victim, a 32-year-old woman, was driving south along Kelaguin Street when two men standing on the road stopped her.One of the suspects was a heavy set individual wearing a black shirt and black short pants, He asked the victim why she was “speeding” and asked for her drivers’ license.The victim produced her license and handed it to the suspect.After the suspect returned the license to the victim, the other suspect, a slim man wearing a white shirt and brown short pants, grabbed the bag from the victim.The two suspects immediately fled on foot, turning east along Tinaktak Avenue.The bag contained cash and an immigration entry permit card.Ogumoro said the two incidents are still under investigation.Anyone with information about these incidents can call Crime Stoppers at 234-7272.No caller ID is used and a reward of up to $1,000 is given for any information leading to an arrest.

ANY INFORMATION ON HIT & RUN COLLISION?

By Cherrie Anne E. VillahermosaVariety News Staff

Police need information on hit-and-run incident

POLICE are asking members of the community to provide information about a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run collision that injured a couple and their minor child.The Department of Public Safety’s Traffic Investigation Unit described the pickup truck as silver or gray, a new model with an extra cab and possibly a Toyota Tacoma, Tundra or Ford F150.The pickup had an opening or airflow device on top of its hood. It had dark-tinted windows and a license plate with the last three numbers being 602.DPS spokeswoman Lei Ogumoro said the occupants of this truck were possibly teenagers.According to DPS, the truck may have damage to the right door, extra cab and rear right portion.Ogumoro said they are also asking that any auto repair shop that has repaired a similar vehicle call Sgt. Joseph Flores or Officers Flor Estabillo and Jerome Reyes at 664-9084/85 or 898-6544.The auto collision on Dandan Road was reported to the police on Oct. 26 at 11:08 a.m.A preliminary investigation disclosed that the pickup truck was observed weaving in and out of the northbound highway shoulder lane and the main road.When the pickup re-entered the main road from the grassy area, it spun several times, then entered the southbound lane and collided with the victim’s brown sedan, a 1992 Hyundai Elantra.The sedan was operated by 48-year-old Charlie McEntee.His passengers were his wife Emilita, 44, and their 8-year-old daughter.The truck left the scene, heading in a southerly direction while the victims were brought to the hospital.Charlie McEntee suffered a swollen neck, vision difficulties and abrasions on the right knee while his wife sustained internal bodily injuries and underwent surgery to abdomenal area.The minor suffered a swollen face.DPS said the weather at the time was cloudy and the road surface wet and slippery.The victim’s vehicle sustained extensive damage to the front and left side.The incident is still under investigation.