Police began looking for Manahane in Nov. 2004

By FERDIE DE LA TORRE
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Authorities started looking for John G. Manahane in November 2004 to serve him an arrest warrant in connection with a burglary case, but they never located him, the Saipan Tribune learned yesterday.

Court documents show that Superior Court Associate Judge Juan T. Lizama issued a warrant for the arrest of Manahane and George Teregeyo Jr. on Nov. 5, 2004, after Tinian police were able to establish that the two may have been responsible for burglarizing a car belonging to William Fitzgerald (not the Saipan lawyer).

In that burglary that occurred on Oct. 12, 2003, Manahane and Teregeyo allegedly stole four tires, five compact disc players and a radio. Teregeyo also smashed the car’s window, according to court papers.

Teregeyo was taken to the Superior Court for a bail hearing on Nov. 8, 2004, after Tinian police arrested him pursuant to the warrant.

Among the conditions for granting bail was that Teregeyo was ordered to stay away from Manahane and other persons, including witnesses.

On Aug. 18, 2005, Teregeyo pleaded guilty to one count of criminal mischief and another count of criminal mischief in a separate burglary case. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, all suspended except for 11 days. The judge gave him credit for the 11 days he had already served in prison.

The records, however, did not show that the case against Manahane is already closed. There are also no records of proceedings with respect to Manahane.

When the Saipan Tribune inquired yesterday about the absence of such records, Assistant Attorney General John Eaton explained that Manahane was never served the criminal information.

“He was never been served. He could not be found,” said Eaton, who represented the government at the change of plea hearing for Teregeyo.

The Attorney General’s Office filed two separate criminal information against Manahane and Teregeyo on Nov. 16, 2004, over the burglary of Fitzgerald’s car as well as for the break-in at Marianas Cable Vision’s office on Tinian.

The Attorney General’s Investigative Unit has reportedly started aggressively pursuing the search for Manahane in August 2005 after receiving information that he was killed and buried near a cliff line on Tinian.

John Manahane’s father, Luis S. Manahane, flew two weeks ago to Saipan from Redding, California where he works, after his California-based sister informed him in October 2005 about what reportedly happened to his son.

Luis Manahane is still on Saipan, waiting for the AGIU to complete the investigation.