LAPD cops disappointed with Miura’s stay order

Four Los Angeles Police Department officers were disappointed upon arriving Monday night at the Saipan international airport after learning that the CNMI Supreme Court had granted Kazuyoshi Miura’s request to hold off the Superior Court’s order for his extradition to L.A. while his appeal is pending.

LAPD Cold Case Homicide Unit’s Detective Rick Jackson and his partners—Detectives Richard Bengtson, Hope Young, and Officer Eri Poss—were met at the airport by Attorney General Matthew Gregory, assistant attorney general Jeffery Warfield Sr., press secretary Charles Reyes Jr., Department of Public Safety commissioner Santiago Tudela and other local officers.

Shortly after their arrival, the LAPD detectives conducted a press conference for waiting journalists, mostly from the Japanese media.

“We obviously just got off from the plane and just now found out that there’s a stay granted. So we’re disappointed but that’s the way things go,” Jackson said.

He said they would be leaving before Sept. 23, the date when the CNMI Supreme Court will hear Miura’s appeal.

“We probably will head back in the next day or so…[and] return later when things are set up permanently and we can take Mr. Miura back to California. We don’t have a lot to say tonight, especially now. We’re tired obviously,” the detective said.

Jackson said there are four of them because they need to have the right number of people to get some things done while on Saipan.

Warfield told Saipan Tribune he is also disappointed with what happened.

“It’s quite expensive for the four of them to come here. It’s a lot of travel time for them. But that’s the way things go sometimes. So they knew that there was a possibility that this might happen. But, at the same time, they still have their jobs to do,” Warfield said.

With respect to the Supreme Court stay ruling, the prosecutor said they are hoping that, if the high court does decide to hear the case, it would be done quickly.

“I don’t think a week is necessary for these issues to be determined,” said Warfield, adding that the Attorney General’s Office will abide with the Supreme Court’s decision.

“We will file our brief on Monday and be prepared for oral argument next Tuesday,” he said.

On Friday, Superior Court associate judge Ramona V. Manglona denied Miura’s petition for habeas corpus and ordered his extradition to L.A.

These decisions prompted William M. Fitzgerald, one of Miura’s three lawyers on Saipan, to file that day with the CNMI Supreme Court an emergency motion for a stay of extradition and removal, pending their appeal.

On Monday afternoon, chief justice Miguel S. Demapan granted the stay request and set the arguments for Sept. 23 at 2pm.