‘Narruhn admits disguising as woman to rob Star Poker’

Eric Nick Narruhn, a 28-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the armed robbery at Star Poker in Chalan Lau Lau on Tuesday night, told police that he robbed the establishment by disguising as a woman by wearing a wig and putting on a makeup.

Narruhn was taken to Superior Court yesterday for bail hearing. Associate Judge David A. Wiseman imposed a $20,000 cash bail and set the preliminary hearing for Feb. 6 at 9am.

The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Narruhn in the case.

Police detective Catherine B. Pangelinan disclosed in her report that Narruhn’s wife, Realiza, who works as a cashier at Star Poker, identified her husband on the surveillance camera’s footage of the robbery.

Pangelinan said that Department of Public Safety Central dispatched a patrol officer on Tuesday at 6:11pm, to a robbery in progress at Star Poker, located along Beach Road near the World War II Japanese tank on Quartermaster Road.

A police sergeant met with the cashier, Raquela Aldan, who reported that an unidentified man wearing a wig and with make up on robbed the establishment.

The robber reportedly took $541 from the cashier’s box.

On Wednesday morning, Xing Nong Xu, the owner of Star Poker, played the surveillance footage dated Monday, Jan. 26, time-stamped at 3:25pm (China’s time or two hours behind Saipan time).

Pangelinan said she saw on the footage that the same suspect came into Star Poker on Monday and that it appears that the cashier at the time, Realiza, knew the suspect.

Pangelinan said when she and two other detectives went to Realiza’s residence in Upper Miha on Wednesday morning, Narruhn came out.

The detective said the couple agreed to be interviewed at the DPS Commonwealth Bureau of Investigation.

Pangelinan said Realiza said her husband brought up in a conversation the idea of robbing Star Poker.

Realiza disclosed that on Monday, while she was the cashier at Star Poker, Narruhn came in disguised as a woman. Realiza said she was shocked and chased her husband away.

Realiza signed a consent form to allow the police to search her house.

In a separate interview, Narruhn confessed that he did bring up the robbery conversation with his wife as a joke, Pangelinan said.

Narruhn allegedly admitted rushing into the cashier’s booth and telling the cashier, Aldan, to keep still as it was a holdup. He was reportedly armed with a toy knife.

Pangelinan said Narruhn confessed taking the money from the cashier’s drawer and fleeing.

During the consent search at the couple’s house, detectives found $205, a plastic bag containing four baby wipes with red lipstick stains, a yellow/orange I Love Saipan bag, a pair of Champion shoes, an umbrella, gray long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of blue jeans.

Pangelinan said Narruhn identified all the items as the ones he used during the robbery.