Man who allegedly caused havoc on Pagan arrested

Police arrested on Friday afternoon a man who allegedly caused havoc on Pagan by setting on fire helicopter fuel tanks, shooting a radio communication system, breaking into the mayor’s house with a sledgehammer, and damaging the mayor’s vehicle.

The suspect, Crispin Fitipol Castro, 38, also allegedly threatened he would shoot any government employee who sets foot on the island.

Police served an arrest warrant issued by Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio to Castro on Pagan last Friday at exactly 4:32pm. The arrest warrant was for arson and criminal mischief charges.

At a hearing yesterday, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho maintained the $5,000 cash bail that Kim-Tenorio imposed in issuing the arrest warrant.

Camacho set the preliminary hearing for May 24 at 1:30pm.

Assistant public defender Matthew Meyer was appointed as counsel for Castro. Assistant attorney general Betsy Weintraub appeared for the government.

Police Detective Dee Liza Udui stated in her report that last April 14, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Robert Guerrero held a briefing with two DPS officials and a police officer regarding a disturbance in the northern island of Pagan.

Udui said according to Guerrero, Northern Islands Mayor Francisco Aldan requested police assistance against Castro and his brother Santiago, who are both Pagan residents.

Aldan stated that the Castro brothers were creating disturbance on the island and threatened to shoot the communications radio down.

Udui said that on the same day, a police officer met with Aldan and his staff.

According to the mayor’s staff, earlier that morning at 8am, a Homeland Security Office personnel called and informed him that Pagan residents will break into the mayor’s house and destroy radio communications by shooting it.

The Homeland Security Office personnel said a Pagan resident called their office that the Castro brothers were radical and threatened to break into the mayor’s house, shoot the radio communication system, and burn down Pagan.

Since then, the HSO personnel said that they had no contact with Pagan residents.

Udui said that last April 15 at 6pm, she along with members from DPS, Commonwealth Ports Authority, Department of Corrections, and Emergency Management Services departed Saipan on M/V Super Emerald en route to Pagan.

Udui said upon their arrival on Pagan last April 16 at 2pm, three residents told them that Castro was responsible for all the damage and that the suspect threatened to shoot government employees.

Udui said for safety reasons, they advised the three residents to pack up their belongings and depart with them to Saipan.

Udui said while on Pagan, one resident led her through the village and showed all the destruction that Castro had done.

Udui said there was damage to Aldan’s Daihatsu Jeep and his house.

Udui said at the fuel storage area, the fuel tanks were punctured and burned.

At the server room, damage was seen on the air-conditioner, the server console, and the satellite dish.

Udui said they departed Pagan at 6pm that day, April 16, and arrived on Saipan the following day at 3:30pm.

Udui said during her interview a Pagan resident who called HSO last April 18, stated that since February 2016, Aldan has been promising Pagan residents that he will send a re-supply ship.

Until now, the re-supply ship never came to Pagan and that this created stress on the residents.

Last April 11, Castro requested and spoke to an investigator at the Office of the Public Auditor to inform him about government corruption.

The Pagan resident said Castro broke into Aldan’s house using a sledgehammer.

Last April 12, Castro told the witness to call HSO using the radio to request a conference meeting with Office of the Attorney General at 10:30am.

The witness said he and Castro waited for OAG, but nobody showed up via radio. Castro then called the witness up to the server to see him break the server using an axe.

The witness also later observed a bullet hole on the radio on either April 13 or 14.

Castro allegedly told the witness that he had placed the rifle he used to shoot the radio on top of the radio and to surrender it to the police.

The witness said that while he was at the lake he heard a loud explosion that he thought was the volcano erupting. He said when he went into the village, he learned that Castro used the axe to puncture the helicopter fuel tanks and set them all on fire.

The witness also told police last April 15 that he saw the damage on Aldan’s vehicle, a black 1990 two-door Daihatsu Jeep.