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Probationer summoned for allegedly drinking
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona has summoned a probationer who was allegedly found drinking beer in violation of the conditions of his probation.
In issuing the summon, Manglona ordered Hermanny Palacios Santos Jr. to appear in court on Oct. 17 to explain why his supervised release should not be revoked.
The judge issued the summons after the U.S. Probation Office reported that Santos admitted consuming alcohol last Sept. 15.
According to U.S. probation officer Gregory F. Arriola, he and another U.S. probation officer visited Santos’ place of work last Sept. 15 at 8:11pm. Santos was subjected to a random breathalyzer test and was found with a 0.156 percent blood alcohol content, which is above the legal limit in the CNMI. When confronted with the test results, Santos claimed to have used mouthwash prior to reporting for work.
Arriola said they informed Santos that the use of mouthwash two hours earlier would not cause him to test positive for alcohol use.
Arriola noted that they detected the odor of beer on Santos’ breath.
Arriola said Santos then admitted that he had consumed two cans of beer prior to reporting to work.
Arriola said they instructed Santos to cease any further use of alcohol and reminded him that at the time he committed the offense he was under the influence of alcohol.
Santos is currently performing a court-ordered 100 hours of community service. He continues to report to his substance abuse treatment sessions and undergo random drug tests. (Ferdie de la Torre)
