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Sex-abuse charges re-filed vs Rota cop
The Office of the Attorney General has re-filed the charges against a Rota police officer accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl.
Assistant attorney general Betsy Weintraub, counsel for the government, re-filed the information last Jan. 25, less than two months after dropping the case.
The new information charged 49-year-old Melvin Maratita Manglona with two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree and one count of disturbing the peace. These are the same charges in the previous information the OAG dismissed.
Manglona was directed to respond to the charges before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho on Rota on Feb. 27 at 9am.
Last Dec. 15, Weintraub moved to dismiss the charges against Manglona without prejudice, which meant the government could re-file the case in the future.
In the government’s voluntary dismissal of the case, Weintraub said the alleged victim and the witnesses reside on Rota, and there had been no opportunity to interview them in person.
Weintraub said the government has received information regarding the alleged victim that requires further investigation to determine whether prosecuting Manglona is in the best interest of justice.
Prior to the case’s dismissal, Weintraub filed a motion to reset the trial, saying she is going off-island. Camacho denied the motion, saying the jury summons have already been issued for 750 potential jurors on Rota.
The OAG alleged that Manglona sexually abused the 14-year-old girl last July and Aug. 11, 2016, on Rota. The girl told police that the defendant has been sexually abusing her since she was 9.
