Six juveniles are identified as suspects in KagES vandalism

Six juveniles—three of whom now reside on Tinian—have been identified as alleged culprits in the vandalism of Kagman Elementary School.

Earlier in June, through the efforts of the Department of Public Safety and NMI Crime Stoppers, three juveniles were apprehended and are still in custody. Their arrest led to the identification of the three other suspects.

DPS Commissioner James Deleon Guerrero Deleon Guerrero told Saipan Tribune that the investigation of one of suspects led to two more suspects being identified. He said the apprehension of these two implicated three more who are also juveniles but are now on Tinian.

The DPS chief said the prosecutor’s office has advised to just issue summons for the three juveniles as opposed to a warrant of arrest so that they could charge them formally in court.

Deleon Guerrero said that they have sent investigators down to Tinian to speak to the three juveniles about their involvement in the incident.

According to Deleon Guerrero, all the suspects were students and residents of Saipan at one time and that the first three were involved in the destruction while the others just helped.

“So altogether we are looking at six individuals and at one point they were residents of Saipan and were all students of Kagman Elementary School,” Deleon Guerrero said.

Citing interviews with the three juveniles who are currently detained, Deleon Guerrero said the suspects committed the vandalism because they “wanted revenge” on the school.

He also noted that they have advised the school to install a security camera system instead of hiring a security officer.

According to Rep. Larry Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), prior to the meeting with Kagman Elementary School principal Ruth Calvo, DPS recommended several other things for the school to do. That included increasing the height of fences around the campus, installing surveillance cameras, and public and community outreach.

Other discussions included toughening up the laws and school policies involving minors and juveniles, implementing deterrence, prevention and counter-measures within every school, and making publicly known the costs and impacts of vandalism on the school and community and its consequences.

Deleon Guerrero noted that they have asked the school to estimate the costs and damages of the vandals so that when the summons are issued against the suspects, their parents will be informed of the cost.

Deleon Guerrero also noted that during one of their “sealed hearings,” one of his investigators present at that time said that one kid showed no remorse and just laughed, “with no respect at all.”

Kagman Elementary School was vandalized three times this year, the first one on April 2014 when DPS dispatched police officers to the scene of the crime and discovered that traffic cones were scattered throughout the school’s parking lot.

The second incident occurred when the bulletin board was damaged and two water faucets in the building were broken, with water gushing out and flooding the parking lot.

The most recent incident in May was the destruction of the cafeteria that resulted in the students of the school having to eat outside due to fruit drinks and cleaning products being scattered all over the floor.