Five criminal charges filed vs ex-DPS chief

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James C. Deleon Guerrero

James C. Deleon Guerrero

The Office of the Attorney General has filed 10 criminal charges against former Department of Public Safety commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero and Police Officer 3 Jesse Salas Concepcion for allegedly sexually assaulting a then-15-year-old girl in 2013.

The information charged the 44-year-old Deleon Guerrero and the 45-year-old Concepcion each with five counts.

Deleon Guerrero and Concepcion were each charged with one count of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, two counts of misconduct in public office, and two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree.

The preliminary hearing set for yesterday was rescheduled to Friday, April 22, at 1:30pm. OAG and defense counsel Joaquin Torres and Richard Pierce have agreed to reschedule the preliminary hearing.

Deleon Guerrero and Concepcion have posted bail and placed under house arrest plus other conditions.

According to the information filed by assistant attorney general Shannon R. Foley in court on Monday, in June 2013 on Saipan, Deleon Guerrero, then the commissioner of DPS, twice engaged in sexual penetration with a minor child at the San Antonio beach site.

Deleon Guerrero performed illegal acts under the color of his office.

Foley said that in June 2013, Deleon Guerrero and Concepcion arranged a meeting place, meeting times, and coordinated with other persons to lure the minor child to a San Antonio beach site, where they engaged in sexual penetration of that child.

Foley said that in June 2013, Concepcion, then a DPS officer, engaged in sexual penetration with a minor child at the San Antonio beach site on numerous occasions.

The prosecutor said Deleon Guerrero and Concepcion, being public officials, performed illegal acts under the color of their office.

Investigators from the Attorney General’s Investigation Division arrested Deleon Guerrero on Friday and Concepcion on Thursday after Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo issued an arrest warrant for them for the alleged sexual assault of the minor.

Deleon Guerrero is special assistant for Homeland and Emergency Management. He has been suspended without pay by acting governor Victor Hocog immediately after he was arrested.

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

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