2 Corrections officers, cop plead not guilty in police brutality, theft cases

Two Corrections officers facing charges for police brutality and a police officer accused of stealing a cell phone, all entered a not guilty plea during yesterday’s arraignment in the Superior Court.

Corrections Officers Ray Anthony M. Camacho and Amisen Dasio Haddy, through their respective counsels, assistant public defender Cindy Nesbit and attorney Benjamin Petersburg, waived formal reading of the charges in the information and waived advisement of their constitutional rights.

Camacho, 36, and Haddy, 48, pleaded not guilty to the information charging each of them with one count of assault and battery.

Police Officer Florencio Q. Falig, through counsel Jennifer Dockter, waived formal reading of the charges in the information and waived advisement of his constitutional rights.

Falig, 47, pleaded not guilty to the information charging him with one count of theft.

Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo set a status conference for Aug. 2, 2016 at 1:30pm in the case against Camacho and Haddy. The status conference in Falig’s case will be on Sept. 13, 2016 at 1:30pm.

Govendo ordered the clerk of court to appoint a new counsel for Camacho after assistant public defender Nesbit informed the court that their office has a conflict of interest in this matter.

Assistant attorney general Barbara P. Cepeda appeared for the government in the two cases.

At the preliminary hearing last Thursday, Govendo found probable cause to charge Camacho with assault and battery.

According to assistant attorney general Matthew C. Baisley in the information, Camacho and Haddy beat up Ryan Cavalear, who is an inmate at the Department of Corrections, last March 31.

Baisley said Camacho and Haddy applied excessive force in handling inmate Cavalear on multiple occasions, including handcuffing him while not resisting; pulling back victim’s arm with excessive force and to cause pain; forcing victim’s head and neck down with excessive force and to cause pain; stepping on the victim’s arms and body in opposite direction with excessive force and to cause pain; hitting the victim in the face while he was restrained, “as well as other unlawful acts of striking, beating, or wounding the victim.”

Police said Cavalear alleged that he was raising his voice because his pain medication was lost that prompted Camacho and Haddy to beat him up inside his cell at DOC.

Police Detective Catherine B. Pangelinan stated in her report that according to the 33-year-old Cavalear, he raised his voice not to show disrespect to the Corrections officers, but out of frustration and pain.

In Falig’s case, Govendo found probable cause to charge the defendant with one count of theft during the preliminary hearing last Thursday.

Assistant attorney general Heather P. Barcinas stated in the information that Falig stole a woman’s Gold Samsung Galaxy J2 cell phone last June 8 on Saipan.

Police said Falig stole the cell phone that a teacher forgot at a store in Kagman and that the act was caught by the store’s surveillance camera.