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Former cop in extortion case hires lawyer; jury trial reset
The Superior Court reset yesterday the jury trial of Travis Dela Cruz Iglecias, a former police officer who allegedly pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation and is accused of threatening to jail the female driver if she would not have sex with him or pay him $300 cash.
At a pre-trial conference, the 24-year-old Iglecias appeared with his newly hired counsel, Joaquin Torres.
The court previously appointed attorney Vicente Salas as counsel for the defendant.
With Torres as the new counsel for Iglecias, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho vacated the Iglecias’ trial that was originally set for Feb. 21, 2017, and reset it to April 10, 2017, at 9am.
Assistant attorney general Betsy Weintraub appeared for the government.
The Office of the Attorney General charged Iglecias with theft by extortion, false arrest, and misconduct in office.
Attorney General Investigation Division investigator Vicente B. Babauta stated in his report that the victim, a Chinese national, was driving her Toyota 4-Runner on her way to the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport when Iglecias pulled her over for a traffic violation by the Mobil gas station in Chalan Kiya last Sept. 25 at 11:30pm.
Babauta said Iglecias immediately handcuffed the woman and secured her in the backseat of the police car.
Babauta said that instead of transporting the woman to the Department of Corrections, Iglecias drove her to her house in Gualo Rai.
When the woman refused to have sex with him, Iglecias allegedly told her to pay him $300 instead and that he would make the traffic citation go away. After the woman paid $300, the officer allegedly released her from custody.
Iglecias has pleaded not guilty.
