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DOC’s Castro on trial for govt vehicle misuse
Corrections director Gregory Castro is on bench trial before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho on charges of misusing a government vehicle.
The trial began yesterday and will continue today at 1:30pm, Tuesday.
Defense counsel Rene Holmes had asked the court to dismiss the case as the Office of the Attorney General allegedly failed to provide notice of the charges against Castro. Saipan Tribune learned that the parties argued the issue all day.
Camacho took the matter under advisement.
Last May 25, Castro, appearing pro se (without a lawyer), pleaded not guilty to three traffic charges: violation of the rule that government vehicles are only to be used for official government business; for driving a tinted government vehicle; and for using a government vehicle without official marks. The three charges carry an imprisonment penalty and a $1,500 fine.
The Office of the Public Auditor allegedly caught Castro using a Corrections 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 cited and the vehicle impounded.
In an earlier interview, the 58-year-old Castro denied the allegation, saying he was doing business at the club when he was issued a citation.
Castro admitted playing golf with his brother, but said they also discussed the possibility of having the Kagman Community Health Center as an alternative healthcare provider for inmates.
