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Three charges filed against suspect in copper wire theft
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Posted on Sep 02 2011
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
The Office of the Attorney General has filed three charges against a man who was arrested last week while allegedly in the process of stealing copper wires along Beach Road’s pathway.
Chief Prosecutor Michael Ernest filed Wednesday an information charging Primo K. Ogarto with theft, criminal mischief, and possession or removal of government property.
Ernest stated in the information that Ogarto stole Friday, Aug. 26, copper wires from a manhole in Garapan. Ernest said that Ogarto cut the copper wires belonging to the CNMI government.
At yesterday’s preliminary hearing, Superior Court associate judge Perry B. Inos found probable cause to charge Ogarto of all three charges.
Assistant attorney general Tiberius Mocanu argued for the government, while assistant public defender Matthew Meyer served as counsel for Ogarto.
Inos reduced to $200 cash the $10,000 cash bail that the court earlier imposed on Ogarto and ordered him to stay away from the pathway.
According to police, Ogarto’s action affected the pathway’s wiring system from Oleai Beach Club down to the Department of Public Safety’s fire station in western Garapan.
Police officers spotted Ogarto allegedly acting suspiciously along Beach Road early Friday morning last week.
The officers approached him and recovered from him copper wires that were already cut and a bush cutter.
Police said that Ogarto used to be a mixed martial arts fighter, but is no longer active.
