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Man pleads guilty to assault
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Posted on Jun 20 2023
A man has pleaded guilty to one count of assault and disturbing the peace and was sentenced to a one-year imprisonment.
Trent James Mendiola, 36, a repeat offender who was previously arrested on charges of assault and disturbing the peace, has pleaded guilty before Superior Court associate judge Kenneth Govendo following a change of plea hearing.
However, of his imprisonment term of one year, Mendiola is only required to serve six months as the other six months was suspended. Mendiola was also given credit for 98 days of time served.
The defendant is set to be released from Department of Corrections on Aug. 30, 2023, and will be placed on supervised probation for two years. Mendiola was also ordered to pay a $240 probation fee, a fine of $150 and court costs of $25.
The defendant was also ordered to perform 40 hours of community service and write an apology letter to the victim within 30 days of the order.
According to court documents, police arrested Mendiola following a preliminary investigation into a disturbance report in Chalan Kanoa back in March.
On March 3, police investigators that the door to the victim’s room in Chalan Kanoa had multiple holes and dents. In an interview with investigators, the victim said that on the afternoon of March 2, she had somebody over when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. The knocker later identified himself as Mendiola and demanded that the victim open the door for him. Mendiola, who allegedly tried to force himself into the apartment, asked the victim if there was anyone over, to which she replied yes. This caused Mendiola to kick the door open. The other woman with the victim jumped off the second-floor balcony and ran away.
Mendiola, in a fit of rage, found an empty liquor bottle and allegedly threw it at the victim, missing her by a few inches.
The victim said she managed to call the police sometime during the altercation, who arrived just in time to get Mendiola out of the apartment.
Police learned that Mendiola is on probation for previous cases involving domestic violence, resisting arrest, assault and battery, and unlawful contact. There is a court order that directs him to stay away from the victim.
