Ex-Sports and Rec official gets 4-month prison term

Former Division of Sports and Recreation deputy director John Benavente Reyes Jr. was slapped with a four-month prison term for pleading guilty to his two criminal cases and admitting to violating his probation.

The 37-year-old Reyes, however, will face another sentencing on Sept. 30, 2015, at 1:30pm for violating his probation in connection with his 2012 criminal case conviction.

Reyes and counsel assistant public defender Michael Sato, signed a plea deal with the government. Assistant attorney general Emily Cohen represented the government.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the offense of illegal possession of controlled substance in the 2014 case and pleaded guilty to the offenses of illegal possession of controlled substance and contempt of court in the 2015 criminal case. He conceded to have violated his probation in the 2012 criminal conviction.

Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman accepted the guilty plea and the plea deal. Wiseman recognized that Reyes has a long-standing drug addiction to methamphetamine or “ice” and along with his family have made arrangements at their own expense for defendant’s drug addiction treatment at the Lighthouse Rehabilitation Facility in Guam.

For the charges of two counts of illegal possession of controlled substance and a count of contempt of court, Wiseman imposed a total prison term of four months with credit for time served.

Reyes was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine, $100 in court assessment fee plus probation fee.

The government did not object to Reyes receiving credit toward his prison sentence for time he spends at the Lighthouse Rehabilitation Facility in Guam provided he met some conditions.

Among the conditions is that Reyes shall return to the Department of Corrections in Susupe within one hour of his arrival on Saipan after the completion of his drug treatment in Guam.

At the Sept. 30, 2015 sentencing, the prosecution and the defense agreed that the term of imprisonment is zero day to two years, to be determined by the court, to run consecutive or in addition to the four-month prison term.

According to the factual basis of the plea agreement, on Sept. 25, 2014 and on Jan. 30, 2015 on Saipan, Reyes had “ice” in his possession.

Reyes admitted to violating the terms and conditions of his probation by failing to obey all laws when he was arrested for possession of “ice” on Sept. 25, 2014, Oct. 10, 2014, Jan. 30, 2015, and April 29, 2015, and has not paid his fine or court fees.

The government agreed to dismiss in its entirety defendant’s another criminal case in 2014. The prosecution also agreed not to file charges against the defendant in another police criminal case in 2015.

In November 2013, Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo sentenced Reyes to three months in prison for shattering the driver’s side of a car with a baseball bat and assaulting the driver, Derek Reyes, at a stoplight on Beach Road, Garapan on Sept. 2, 2012.