Rookie cop allegedly beats up cop wife

A rookie police officer was arrested for allegedly beating up his wife, who is also a police officer, inside their car along Beach Road in Susupe on Friday night.

Ramon Saures Kaipat, 38, who is assigned at the Kagman police substation, was arrested for assault and battery and disturbing the peace.

The victim, who is an evidence custodian at the Department of Public Safety, was injured and was brought to the Commonwealth Health Center.

At yesterday’s bail hearing, Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho raised the $3,000 bail the court had earlier imposed on Kaipat to $20,000, citing Kaipat’s three temporary restraining orders, two prior criminal cases and several traffic cases, including driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Kaipat was directed to surrender his firearm.

A private counsel will be appointed as Kaipat’s lawyer.

Attorney Michael White informed the court that he represents the wife, who is planning to divorce Kaipat. Assistant attorney general Matthew Baisley appeared for the government.

Preliminary hearing will be on Jan. 24 at 1:30pm.

Police officers responded to the parking lot across the Truongs Restaurant on Friday at 11:18pm after receiving a call about a disturbing the peace incident.

Police detective Simon T. Manacop, who was the first to arrive at the scene, saw Kaipat on top of his wife on the passenger side seat of a Nissan Altima car. Kaipat was reportedly holding down his wife’s head on the seat. The wife was stepping on the car’s horn, causing it to honk several times. Manacop arrested Kaipat.

Manacop then noticed that the wife had bruises on her face and forehead. When he asked her how she was, she replied that her head was hurting. The victim laid down on the passenger side seat and fell asleep. When she woke up, another officer asked her what happened and she replied that her husband punched her on the head several times. Medics arrived and brought the victim to the hospital.

The victim later told police that she and her husband just came from a party and she was on the phone with her sister when Kaipat grabbed her phone, turned it off, grabbed her hair and punched her head and face. He allegedly even wrapped his arm around her neck in a headlock.

Somehow, the victim’s father was on the other line and heard the fight. The victim told her father to call the police for her. She managed to pull the car over, while her husband continued beating her up.

In July 2011, Superior Court Presiding Judge Robert C. Naraja sentenced Kaipat to three days in prison, with credit for three days of time served, for disturbing the peace that stemmed from a domestic violence involving the same victim.

Naraja placed Kaipat on probation for one year.

At that time, Kaipat was a Customs officer, Saipan Tribune learned.

Some veteran police officers have wondered how Kaipat was able to join the police academy last year considering his previous domestic violence conviction and TROs as well as several traffic cases. The victim sought the TROs.