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Revocation sought in woman’s probation
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Posted on Sep 14 2005
The U.S. Probation Office has asked Saipan’s federal court to revoke a woman’s probation after local police arrested and charged her with child neglect last July.
Lea Decada Mendiola had already served her three months imprisonment sentence for wire fraud and mail fraud, but the federal court also placed her under three years of supervised release following incarceration when she was sentenced on Aug. 12, 2003.
Part of the conditions of her probation includes three months of home detention with electronic monitoring.
Later, the federal court also modified the conditions to include compliance with orders by the CNMI Superior Court in a criminal case against one Ignacio A. Cabrera. The Superior Court had ordered Cabrera to have no contact with Mendiola’s two kids. Police said that Cabrera and Mendiola are engaged in a romantic relationship.
Mendiola had allegedly admitted to police that she and her kids go to Cabrera’s house often and had stayed there overnight for about 15 times despite the “no contact” court order.
U.S. probation officer Margarita DLG. Wonenberg recommended that Mendiola’s probation be revoked for violating its conditions.
She said Mendiola failed not only to comply with the Superior Court order but also to refrain from committing another crime. The probation officer said Mendiola failed to associate with any person engaged in criminal activity.
Wonenberg also said Mendiola had not served three months of home detention. She also said that Mendiola failed to notify her within 72 hours of being arrested or questioned by a law enforcement officer. To date, Mendiola reportedly languishes at the Division of Corrections.
The federal court had set a revocation hearing yesterday, but Mendiola’s lawyer, Colin Thompson, asked for postponement of the proceeding due to the seriousness of the charge against her client.
Chief Judge Alex R. Munson reset the proceeding on Sept. 28 and remanded Mendiola to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
