Man pleads not guilty to domestic violence charges

A man who was arrested on Tinian for allegedly beating his girlfriend and throwing a tire at her pleaded not guilty to all the charges made against him.

Brandon Mundo Aldan, 21, through his lawyer Joey Patrick San Nicolas, offered a not guilty plea to the charges of assault and battery, strangulation, and criminal mischief.

Aldan appeared out of custody with his third-party custodian during his arraignment last Monday.

Superior Court Presiding Judge Robert Naraja scheduled a status conference for Aldan on May 13, 2019 at 9:30am on Saipan.

San Nicolas requested that the pre-trial hearings be held on Saipan because his client is currently working on island.

Assistant attorney general Frances Demapan, who appeared in behalf of the government, did not object to the defendant’s request.

Aldan, a Tinian resident, was arrested after attending a party last March 9 for throwing a tire at his girlfriend in a fit of rage after also allegedly choking and punching her.

According to court information, the victim contacted Department of Public Safety last March 9 at about 10:14pm, requesting police assistance because her boyfriend, Aldan, was allegedly beating her.

At the scene, officers noticed that the victim had a slight swelling on her face and damage to the vehicle she was in.

The victim told police that she and Aldan had attended a family party prior to the incident. She said Aldan got drunk at the party and tried to pick a fight with everyone at the party, even his own brother.

As the victim and Aldan were leaving, she said that they offered Aldan’s brother and his girlfriend a ride but, during the ride, Aldan and his brother got into an argument, to the point where Aldan allegedly chased his brother and his girlfriend out of the car and told them to walk home.

The victim said that, after the argument, she pulled over at the Natibu Park to talk with Aldan and she told him that she did not want to go home with him when he is angry.

Aldan began to argue with the victim and she told him to get out of the car. Aldan then allegedly slapped the victim and punched her before exiting. Aldan then walked over to the passenger side and allegedly choked the victim. After that, Aldan allegedly took a spare tire from behind the car and threw it at the windshield of the vehicle. Aldan also took a pipe from behind the car and continued to hit the victim’s vehicle.

Aldan ran away after the victim called the police but he was later traced back to his residence where he was arrested.