‘Limes’ husband is person of interest’

A prosecutor revealed yesterday that Sylvestre Rogopes Sablan is a person of interest in the murder of his wife, Ana Maria Limes.

This developed as police arrested the 43-year-old Sablan on Tuesday night for illegal possession of a controlled substance, disturbing the peace, and criminal trespass for allegedly harassing a neighbor in Oleai on Sunday midnight.

At a bail hearing yesterday, assistant attorney general Chester Hinds disclosed that Sablan is a person of interest in the murder of his wife and asked the court to increase Sablan’s $5,500 cash bail to $50,000 cash.

Sylvestre R. Sablan walks outside the courtroom with corrections officers and his counsel, assistant public defender Michael Sato, after a bail hearing yesterday in Superior Court. Sablan was arrested for illegal possession of methamphetamine and two other charges for allegedly harassing a neighbor on Sunday midnight. The prosecution disclosed that the defendant is a person of interest in the murder of his wife, Ana Maria Limes. (Ferdie de la Torre)

Before the prosecutor made the revelation, Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman asked Sablan for the name of his wife.

Sablan answered in a low voice, “Ana Limes.”

“She’s the one that had just been killed, right?” Wiseman asked, to which Sablan replied in a low voice, “Yes.”

Citing Sablan’s prior criminal cases as well as the prosecution’s statement that he’s a person of interest in the murder of Limes, Wiseman increased the bail to $25,000 cash and set some conditions.

Assistant public defender Michael Sato, who was appointed as counsel for Sablan, said the court should keep the bail at $5,500 as it is not appropriate to increase the bail amount based on a future criminal case.

Wiseman said that Sato’s position is well taken but the court is more concerned with Sablan’s previous criminal history.

Preliminary hearing will be on April 29 at 9am and arraignment will be on May 4 at 9am.

Police detective Rudolfo Saures Hermosilla Jr. stated in his report that the Department of Public Safety’s dispatcher received a call on Sunday at 12:36am from a female who claimed that someone was yelling and causing a disturbance outside their house in Oleai.

At 12:44am, a police officer responded and arrived at the location and saw Daniel Lisua, who was holding a baseball bat.

Lisua, the father of the caller, told the officer that Sablan was inside his outside kitchen located behind his house and that he believes Sablan “is losing it.”

Lisua told the officer that Sablan was walking around his house and was talking loudly to himself.

The officer approached Sablan, identified himself, greeted him, and asked what he was doing. The suspect raised his right hand and showed a small clear zip lock bag containing a white crystal-like substance.

Sablan then threw the bag as the officer secured him in handcuffs. He told the officer that it’s not “ice” in the bag but salt.

While the officer was patting him down, Sablan stated, “Officer, I am sorry but I can make you rich. I didn’t sleep for three days already because I smoked Santa Lourdes rocks.”

Sablan also allegedly asked the officer if he wanted $1 million or $2 million because he was going to make him rich.

The officer noticed what appeared to be bloodstains on Sablan’s pants. The officer also saw scratches on Sablan’s abdomen.

When asked how he got the scratches on his stomach, Sablan replied that it’s nothing and that he doesn’t know. He kept saying that he smoked “ice” and that he also smoked salt, that is why he’s acting like that.

Lisua’s girlfriend told police that she heard dogs barking outside their house while she was watching TV. When she looked out the window, she saw someone walking back and forth outside their house.

The woman opened the door but closed it when she did not see anyone. After closing the door, she heard loud banging outside the door she had just closed.

She got scared and asked who it was. When the person said it’s Syl, she thought it was her nephew so she opened the door a bit. When she saw it was not her nephew but a man holding a stick, she immediately closed the door.

The man, later identified as Sablan, pushed the door, but the woman managed to lock it. She then instructed her daughter to call the police.

While her daughter was calling the police, the woman ran to her boyfriend, Lisua, who was sleeping at the time and woke him up.

Lisua said he heard the dogs barking so he looked out the window and saw a man walking around his property and talking to himself in a very loud voice. Lisua identified the man as his neighbor, Sablan.

Sablan apologized to Lisua and offered him “ice.” Lisua refused and told him to leave. Sablan refused, saying that someone was chasing him and pointed to an area, but there was no one there.

Lisua said that, while waiting for police to arrive, Sablan kept offering him “ice,” telling him it’s worth $50 and good for both of them. Lisua turned the offer down.

A police officer later tested the contents of the bag that Sablan was holding and determined that it tested presumptive positive for the presence of methamphetamine.

Sablan was detained at the Department of Corrections but was later released as police conducted further investigation.

On Tuesday at 9:04pm, police served Sablan with an arrest warrant at Quartermaster in connection with the disturbance and “ice” possession.

Limes, 52, a former staff assistant of Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), was found dead inside her house on Monday shortly after noon.

Patrol officers were dispatched to the scene after police received a call on Monday at 12:12pm of a suspicious bloody room at the residence of Limes in San Jose or Oleai Village.

Patrol officers found Limes’ body at the entrance to the house’s front living room door. She showed signs of having been deceased for some time already, with fatal injuries to the head. She and Sablan reportedly got married only two weeks ago, the victim’s relative said.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said yesterday that all who worked with Limes are greatly saddened to learn of her tragic and untimely passing.

“We extend out deepest sympathy to her family and will be keeping Ding [Limes] in our prayers,” the congressman said.