Judge finds probable cause to charge man who threw machete at cop

Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho found probable cause on Tuesday to charge a 22-year-old man accused of burglarizing a house in Chinatown and throwing a machete at a police officer.

At a preliminary hearing, Camacho found probable cause to charge Kition Emor with assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of disturbing the peace.

The three charges refer to Emor’s throwing of machete at Police Officer Ikluk Mosayos, who responded to a reported disturbance in Chinatown last May 10, and for disturbing the peace of Ki Young Yu and Moon Hee Kwon on that same day.

Camacho also stated that he heard the testimony of two police detectives and found no probable cause to charge Emor with criminal mischief, resisting arrest, and two counts of disturbing the peace.

The judge dismissed without prejudice the four charges, which means that the Office of the Attorney General may re-file the charges.

The four charges refer to Emor’s alleged breaking of the windows and a sliding door of a property belonging to attorney Robert Torres, obstructing police officers in the discharge of their duty by trying to run away, and for threatening to kill Masayos, and for disturbing the peace of Steven Koch in the presence of a child.

Saipan Tribune learned that it’s the house of Torres’ sister-in-law and it is being rented out. Torres is the one handling the rentals for his sister-in-law and her husband while they are off-island.

After the preliminary hearing, Emor was remanded into the custody of the Department of Corrections. Arraignment will be on June 4 at 9am.

Assistant attorney general Robert “Charlie” Lee appeared for the government. Chief public defender Douglas Hartig served as counsel for Emor.

According to police detective Ernest Sablan Jr. in his report, last May 10 at 12:59am, a police officer was dispatched to Freedom Drive in Chinatown due to a reported disturbance.

When the officer arrived at a residence, he felt an object fly by him and noticed it was a machete.

A man, who was identified as Emor, was standing on the roof of the house. He was shouting at the officer with bad words and challenging him to get him.

Other officers then arrived at the scene. Emor jumped down onto the tailgate of a Toyota Tacoma and then down to the ground.

Emor tried to run away, but one officer grabbed him. Three other officers assisted in arresting him.

A woman guided the officers to her house, where she showed the windows in the garage, the window by the stairs, and the sliding door outside the back of the house, which Emor allegedly damaged to get inside.