Two arrested for GES burglary

Police arrested Friday night two Division of Sports and Recreation employees for allegedly burglarizing the Garapan Elementary School and carting off more than $6,000 worth of equipment and other instructional materials.

John B. Reyes Jr., 34, and Mario O. Sablan, 35, both assigned at the Oleai Sports Complex, were taken to Superior Court yesterday for a bail hearing on charges of burglary and theft.

From $25,000 cash each, Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo lowered their bail to $5,000 cash each. Govendo told the two that they may request the court to be allowed to post only 10 percent of the amount.

Both defendants had numerous traffic offenses but no felony convictions, according to the judge.

Reyes Jr. is the son of former Department of Public Works secretary John Reyes Sr., who was present at yesterday’s proceeding. Govendo said that Reyes Jr.’s father is eligible to serve as third-party custodian.

Attorney Stephen Woodruff served as counsel for Reyes Jr., while assistant public defender Daniel Guidotti represented Sablan. Assistant attorney general Darren Robinson appeared for the government.

Police detective Jeffrey I. Norita stated in his report that the Department of Public Safety received a call last week, March 26, about a burglary and theft incident at Garapan Elementary School.

Norita said that during his interview on Thursday, the school’s security guard stated that his co-worker and supervisor had called him on March 25 to go to the school because some classrooms had been burglarized. After the investigation, the guard said he went back home and then reported back to the Garapan school at 2pm that same day.

The guard claimed that at 5pm, as he was facing north toward the Headstart classrooms (house numbers M-38 and M-39), he spotted in the open yard behind M-38 John (Reyes) and Sablan, who were both standing.

The guard noticed that Reyes was holding two keyboards, while Sablan was carrying a big rainbow-colored bag. Reyes and Sablan then walked to the back of house number M-35 and placed the two keyboards and bag inside a closet.

As Reyes and Sablan were walking in the open yard, Sablan saw the guard. He allegedly dropped to one knee and got on his cell phone. The guard ran to the western side of the gate to go after Reyes and Sablan. When he arrived at the location, the two were no longer there.

The guard then checked the closet of M-35 and found the two keyboards but not the rainbow-colored bag. He took the two keyboards and checked the perimeter of the Headstart room. That’s when he discovered that house numbers M-36 and M-37 had been burglarized, noting the doorknobs that had been broken off from the doors. Both rooms are being used to store the school’s equipment.

The guard reported his findings to his supervisor and then secured the two piano keyboards in his desk.

The next day, the guard learned that two keyboards were stolen from M-36 and notified the principal that he saw Reyes and Sablan behind M-38.

The guard said he knows Reyes and Sablan because two weeks before to the incident, the two suspects came to school to repair the basketball court’s board and rim.

One teacher corroborated the guard’s statement that the suspects, along with other Sports and Recreation employees, were at the school on March 13 to repair the basketball court rim and backboard.

One teacher said that her classroom (D-107) lost three silver iMac computers, one white iMac computer, and an Epson LCD projector, all worth $4,494.97.

Another teacher said stolen from her classroom (M-39) were one HP LaserJet printer, a silver iMac, one Tripplite surge projector, and a 15-inch black TV set, all worth $1,589.98.

The two keyboards were estimated to cost at $95.99 each.

None of the stolen items has been recovered.