Man, 61, accused of molesting boy

The CNMI Superior Court has imposed a $50,000 cash bail on a 61-year-old man who allegedly molested a 12-year-old boy several times in a span of several years starting when he was just 5 or 6 years old.

During a bail hearing last Friday, Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho imposed a $50,000 cash bail on Edmund Altares Castaneda, 61, who is charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the first, second, and third degrees.

Castaneda was remanded back to the Department of Corrections and was ordered to return to court on June 25 at 10am for a preliminary hearing before Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth Govendo.

According to court documents, Castaneda was arrested at around 10:09am last Thursday after the victim’s father called police upon learning from his son Castaneda’s alleged molestation. In addition, the child alleged that Castaneda started molesting him since he was 5 or 6 years old.

As he was being transported to DOC soon after his arrest, Castaneda reportedly told police that he was “joking” with the boy and was just “playing” with him while trying to wake him up. He said he sat on the child in a joking manner and even pulled his shorts down and when the child refused to wake up, he left. He allegedly reiterated these statements during an interview with the police.

The victim’s father told police that Castaneda works as a construction worker for his father-in-law and he was in the area doing work for him. He rushed home after receiving a call from his wife stating that Castaneda had touched his son inappropriately.

The father further told police that when he got home he confronted Castaneda, during which his son came out of the restroom and was crying hysterically before telling him that Castaneda allegedly went inside his room and molested him. The father noted to police that Castaneda didn’t say anything at that point.

In a forensic interview with the Department of Youth Services, the victim said he was sleeping when Castaneda allegedly came inside his room and molested him, which he described to the DYS advocate in detail. The child said Castaneda had been doing things like this since he was 5 or 6 and has occasionally kissed him on the lips.

Castaneda told police in an interview that he only “opened” the child’s pants as a joke and he’s always joking with him because he treats the child as a son.