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Probable cause found to charge defendant in Sun Palace Hotel poker room burglary
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Posted on Jul 15 2016
Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho yesterday found probable cause to charge Dwight Lee D. Aldan over the stealing of $5,231 from a poker machine at Sun Palace Hotel’s poker room in Susupe.
At a preliminary hearing, Camacho found probable cause to believe that the crimes of theft and criminal mischief were committed and that the 41-year-old Aldan may have committed the offenses.
Camacho ordered Aldan to answer the charges and set the arraignment for July 18 at 9am.
Assistant attorney general Betsy Weintraub called to the witness stand police detective Jeffrey Norita who narrated to the court about their investigation that led to Aldan’s arrest.
Attorney Michael W. Dotts appeared as court-appointed counsel for the defendant.
After the hearing, Aldan was remanded to the custody of the Department of Corrections.
Police arrested Aldan last July 5 after the court issued a warrant for his arrest over the poker machine break-in and theft at Sun Palace Hotel’s poker room.
Police Detective Norita stated in his report that last June 25 at 4:55pm, the Department of Public Safety Central sent a police officer to Sun Palace Hotel in Susupe, where $5,2321 was stolen from one poker machine.
Norita said the responding police officer learned that the theft was discovered after a hotel guest approached a front desk staff and informed her that one of the poker machines in the game room did not accept his money.
The front desk observed that wires were exposed from the front panel of the machine. The employee also noticed that the panel was slightly opened and bills were missing.
Norita said surveillance camera’s footage led to the identification and subsequent arrest of Aldan.
Aldan is also the suspect in the Martha Store’s game room theft incident last June 28. The government charged him so far only in connection with the Sun Palace incident.
In the Martha Store’s poker room case, the suspect was able to run away with $30 in coins last June 28. The suspect caused damage worth $500 to one machine.
