DPS on the hunt for the Office on Aging burglar

The Department of Public Safety still has no solid leads or suspects in the burglary that occurred at the Office on Aging last Tuesday and is encouraging the community to report any information it may have that could possibly lead to an arrest.

According to DPS spokesperson Dre Pangelinan, the DPS still had no suspects in the burglary as of 6:45pm yesterday. “The case is still under investigation. There is no suspect at this time,” he said.

For those who may have any information regarding the burglary, call 911 at any time. If you wish to remain anonymous, call the CNMI Crime Stoppers hotline at 234-7272. Crime Stoppers pays up to $1,000 for any information leading to an arrest.

According to a DPS press release, the burglary was reported to DPS at about 6:40am last Tuesday, June 21. At the scene, police met with the caller who stated that he was an employee of the Office on Aging in Chinatown, Saipan. He said when he arrived at the office, he noticed that things were out of place. He then called the director, who told him to call for police assistance. Police noted there were scattered items throughout the center.

At this time, items missing include three Echo branded bushcutters, two IQ Sound brand Bluetooth speakers, two five-gallon fuel containers, one chainsaw, and one 32-inch flat-screen TV.

DPS would like to remind the public to be diligent when purchasing or when being offered a flat-screen TV, bushcutter, Bluetooth speakers, or any of the stolen items.

Meanwhile, in a statement from the Office on Aging, the center stated that many of the stolen items were bought using money raised from fundraisers conducted by the elderly who are members of the office, which is also called the Mana’mko Center.

“Our gates, lights, cameras, chains, and locks were not enough to deter the thief/thieves. Many of the stolen items were purchased from funds our elders worked really hard to earn: months of selling King and Queen raffle tickets, making and selling arts and crafts, donating and selling personal items, holding concert events, etc. We cannot fathom the words to describe how we all feel. The blatant disrespect for our elderly is not one that should be tolerated in our island community. We pride ourselves in showing gratitude and respect to our man’amko. Stealing from them is unacceptable. We would like to ask the community for their assistance in trying to locate some of the missing items,” the statement said.

Aside from the items police reported missing, the office stated that the other stolen items include one Rogue acoustic guitar, two Yamaha acoustic guitars, one Fender electric guitar, one ukulele, one Epson projector, one tool box with tools set, Fender guitar amplifiers, a Xerox machine, one security camera system, and four iPads.