Probable cause found on all eight charges against CUC staff

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho has found probable cause to eight charges filed against a Commonwealth Utilities Corp. line crew who allegedly burglarized the house of attorney Bruce Berline, stole a CUC vehicle, and ended up colliding with a police car, injuring a police officer during a high-speed chase in Papago.

At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Camacho found probable cause to believe that the crimes of burglary, theft, theft of vehicle, resisting arrest, two counts of criminal mischief, reckless driving, and eluding police officer were committed and that Cabrera may have committed the offenses.

Camacho ordered the 38-year-old Cabrera to answer the charges.

The eight charges carry a maximum penalty of 11 years imprisonment.

Arraignment will be on July 25 at 9am. Cabrera, also known as Ninja, was remanded into the custody of the Department of Corrections after the hearing. A $20,000 cash bail was imposed on him.

Assistant attorneys general Betsy Weintraub and Jonathan Robert Glass Jr. appeared for the government. Assistant public defender Cindy Nesbit served as counsel for Cabrera.

The prosecution called to the witness stand Police Officer Norris Kwon who narrated to the court the circumstances of their investigation that led to Cabrera’s arrest.

Sources said Police Officer Rudolfo Hermosilla, who served the arrest warrant on Cabrera, was injured in the left hand during the collision.

The police car sustained extensive damage to the front hood, bumper, headlamp, parking light, and engine area, while the CUC truck sustained damage to the rear bumper, according to the information.

Berline lost his brown Timberland Hudson commuter leather wallet worth $9.50, $150 to $300 in cash, CNMI driver’s license, blue Citi Bank credit card, an American Express Gold Delta Sky Miles credit card, a First Hawaiian Bank credit card, a Smiles card, a Shell rewards card, and a Subway card.

Police Detective Jesus K. Wabol stated in his report that last July 3 at 9:23am, a police officer responded to a burglary incident at the house of Berline in Puerto Rico.

Wabol said investigation showed that on July 3 at 7:30am, Berline was looking for his wallet, which he placed on the dining table, but was no longer there.

Upon reviewing the surveillance equipment at the house, the footage showed a man climbing in through Berline’s living room window at 6:27am and stealing the wallet from the dinner table.

The suspect then climbed back on the same window at 6:28am.

After seeing the footage, Berline went to his neighbor, who identified the person climbing the house and stealing his wallet as Cabrera.

Cabrera at that time was wearing a black T-shirt with “Ninja” clearly visible on front portion of it.

Wabol said that last July 10, a former police officer identified the person in the footage as his half-brother Cabrera.

Last July 14, police officers were hunting down Cabrera to serve the arrest warrant in connection with the Puerto Rico burglary incident.

Police spotted the defendant driving the stolen CUC truck, but Cabrera allegedly eluded police officers and during the chase, ended up colliding the truck with the police car driven by officer Hermosilla.

Cabrera allegedly struggled with police officers to break free and refused to be handcuffed.