Castro pleads not guilty of misusing govt vehicle

Share

Corrections director Gregory Castro pleaded not guilty yesterday to the alleged misuse of a government vehicle.

At his arraignment, Castro appeared pro se, without a lawyer. Assistant attorney general Jonathan L. Wilberscheid represented the government.

The Superior Court had found Castro not qualified for a court-appointed counsel.

Castro pleaded not guilty to three traffic charges, which carry a maximum penalty of three days in prison and $1,500 fine.

Castro’s first alleged offense is a violation of the law that government vehicles are only to be used for official government business. The other charge was for driving a tinted government vehicle. The last offense is for using a government vehicle without official markings.

A bench trial is set for July 12, 2017.

The Office of the Public Auditor caught Castro allegedly using a DOC vehicle, a 2015 Nissan XTerra, to go to the Marianas Country Club in Marpi in the morning of March 15, 2017, to play golf. He was given a citation and the vehicle was impounded.

In an earlier interview, the 58-year-old Castro denied misusing the vehicle, saying he was doing business at the Marianas Country Club.

Ferdie De La Torre | Reporter
Ferdie Ponce de la Torre is a senior reporter of Saipan Tribune. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has covered all news beats in the CNMI. He is a recipient of the CNMI Supreme Court Justice Award. Contact him at ferdie_delatorre@Saipantribune.com

Related Posts

Disclaimer: Comments are moderated. They will not appear immediately or even on the same day. Comments should be related to the topic. Off-topic comments would be deleted. Profanities are not allowed. Comments that are potentially libelous, inflammatory, or slanderous would be deleted.