Inos imposes 6-month jail term on defendant; Govendo orders 30-day jail term on another

Superior Court associate judge Perry B. Inos has imposed a six-month prison term on a man convicted of disturbing the peace of a female minor.

In a separate case, Superior Court associate judge Kenneth L. Govendo imposed a 30-day prison term on a man who disturbed the peace of United Workers Movement-NMI president Rabby Syed and damaged another person’s pickup truck.

On Thursday afternoon, Inos sentenced Duansheng Hong to six months in prison, with 30 days not subject to parole, for four counts of disturbing the peace.

Hong, a Chinese national, also known as Peter Hong, was given credit for time served. He was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. He will start serving his sentence on Aug. 26, 2011.

Assistant attorney general Peter Prestley recommended an eight-month term, while defense attorney Joseph Norita Camacho recommended a one-day sentence, with credit for the one day Hong had already served in jail.

Camacho told Saipan Tribune after the sentencing that he will be meeting with Hong to discuss if they will appeal or not.

After a two-day bench trial, Inos handed down a not-guilty verdict on three counts of stalking in the second degree. The judge, however, convicted Hong of four counts of disturbing the peace.

Police said a couple went to the police on Sept. 14, 2010, to file a disturbing the peace complaint against Hong. The couple alleged that Hong has been stalking their daughter and her boyfriend.

At the trial, Camacho argued that the text messages the girl received came from someone else and not from Hong.

Camacho said the girl’s boyfriend testified that he once asked Hong to help him pay for an airline fee so he could change his airline ticket and return to Saipan from the U.S. mainland.

Camacho said the boyfriend stated that he and Hong are close friends.

Meanwhile, Govendo last week sentenced Joaquin H. Tenorio to five years in prison, all suspended except for 30 days, for two counts of criminal mischief.

Govendo sentenced the 22-year-old Tenorio to six months in prison, all suspended except for 30 days, for assault and disturbing the peace, in the second case.

The sentence runs concurrent with the other case. This means that Tenorio will serve a total of 30 days, with credit for two days, for the two cases. He will begin serving his sentence on Sept. 1, 2011. Upon his release, he will be placed on supervised probation for five years.

Tenorio will be required to undergo anger management counseling, pay jointly with co-defendants in restitution to Ellis Miller in the amount of $8,000, perform 100 hours of community work service, pay a $200 fine, plus court costs and fees.

He was ordered to write a letter of apology to Miller and Syed.

The Office of the Attorney had charged Tenorio with two counts of criminal mischief and one count of minor consuming alcohol. In the second case, the OAG charged Tenorio with assault and disturbing the peace.

Tenorio and counsel signed a plea agreement with the government. He pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal mischief in one case, and pleaded guilty to assault and disturbing the peace in the second case.

The agreement stated that on Feb. 9 and 10, 2008, Tenorio along with Patrick Torres and Anthony Norita threw rocks at Miller’s vehicle and jumped on it, causing the windows to fracture. The suspects were under 21 at the time and were drunk.

In the other case, on Feb. 26, 2011, Tenorio called Syed and threatened to harm him and his family. Syed said the caller threatened to chop off his neck, hands, and feet and kill his family for his advocacy work.

Syed, a Bangladeshi national, is married to a local.