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Man charged with sex abuse pleads not guilty
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Posted on Jun 04 2019
A man, who allegedly sexually abused a minor and tried to jump off a building in an attempt to escape police, has pleaded not guilty.
Jordan N. Tudela, 36, pleaded not guilty to the charges of sexual abuse of a minor and disturbing the peace before Superior Court Presiding Judge Robert Naraja yesterday.
Through his lawyer, Office of the Public Defender’s Jean Pierre Nogues, Tudela waived the reading of his rights and charges and requested that his constitutional rights be preserved.
Representing the Commonwealth at the arraignment was acting chief prosecutor Heather Barcinas.
Naraja ordered Tudela to return to court on July 11 for a status conference.
Tudela remains in the custody of the Department of Corrections as he failed to post bail.
According to Saipan Tribune archives, the Office of the Attorney General charged Tudela with sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree after he was allegedly caught sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in Chalan Kanoa.
According to court information, Tudela’s girlfriend and the alleged eyewitness of the assault told police that she caught Tudela sexually molesting the 11-year-old girl in their home in Chalan Kanoa back in December 2018.
The eyewitness told police that she panicked and ran out of the room and immediately called for police assistance. Tudela reportedly left the house prior to the arrival of police officers.
The 11-year-old victim allegedly told police later that Tudela had threatened to kill her family if she reports what he did to her.
Tudela allegedly begged his girlfriend not to report the matter to authorities, and that she reported the incident nonetheless, prompting him to climb atop a three-story building in Chalan Kanoa and threaten to jump off.
For over three hours, responding police officers and first responders urged him to get off the edge of the building and the incident caused massive traffic in the area. He was later arrested at the building site.
