Judge finds probable cause to charge taxicab driver

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho found probable cause yesterday to charge Amrita Lal Sarker with all five traffic offenses that resulted in serious injuries to two women and minor injuries to his four passengers in Gualo Rai last week.

During the preliminary hearing, Camacho determined that there was probable cause to charge the 40-year-old Sarker with reckless driving, failing to drive on the right half of the roadway, violating speed limits, failing to exercise due care while driving a vehicle, and failing to yield the right of way to pedestrians crossing the marked crosswalk.

Camacho ordered Sarker to answer the charges. Arraignment will be held today, Thursday, at 1:30pm.

At the hearing, assistant attorney general Emily Cohen called to the witness stand police traffic investigator Adrian Mendiola, who basically narrated to the court the circumstances of the accident and the investigation that led to Sarker’s arrest.

Assistant public defender Tillman Clark served as counsel for Sarker.

Clark argued, among other things, that the area was too dark at that time and that Sarker was not driving recklessly because he was just avoiding the pedestrians and did not see the two women who were near the gate. Clark said pedestrians also have a lot of responsibilities when walking on the road in the middle of the night.

Camacho denied Sarker’s motion to modify the $10,000 cash bail.

Sarker’s bid to be released to a third-party custodian upon posting 10 percent of the bail was also denied. Camacho found Sarker’s proposed third-party custodian, Podder Nayon, not suitable because Nayon is currently on probation for reckless driving.

The judge also declined a second proposed third-party custodian, Mohammed Ayub Ali, because Ali could not fully understand English. Camacho said a translator is needed at the hearing if Sarker wants to insist on Ali as his third-party custodian.

Sarker was allegedly speeding and had swerved to avoid hitting pedestrians who were crossing the crosswalk along Chalan Pale Arnold in Gualo Rai last Thursday night, resulting in the car mowing down two women who were standing near the gate of Eucon International University.

Li Chen, 51, one of two women, is in critical condition and was flown to Beijing, China, Tuesday night for an operation and further medical treatment.

Chen and the other woman, Zhang Hong Li, were training to become educators at Eucon, Saipan Tribune learned.