Woman gets 2-year sentence for beating 3 at a store

A woman who was among five persons accused in the beating of a female cashier and two men at a store in Chalan Kanoa pleaded guilty Wednesday and was slapped with a two-year prison term.

Cheroleen Ray, 20, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and battery, and assault and battery as part of a plea deal.

Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman sentenced Ray to five years in prison, all suspended except for two years, for aggravated assault and battery, with credit for time served.

For assault and battery, the judge sentenced Ray to a year in prison to be served concurrently with the sentence for aggravated assault and battery. This means that the total prison term for both charges is two years.

Ray will begin serving her sentence on April 27, 2010. Once she gets out, she will be placed on five years probation.

Ray was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, $100 court assessment fee, a probation fee, and restitution to victims Xiaoping Tudela and Mohammed A. Bashar in an amount to be determined by the Office of Adult Probation.

Wiseman also required Ray to submit to an alcohol and drug assessment at the Community Guidance Center and complete any recommended treatment. She was also directed to complete anger management counseling.

The Office of the Attorney General had charged Ray with assault with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault and battery, two counts of assault and battery, and two counts of disturbing the peace.

Ray and assistant public defender Matthew Meyer signed a plea deal with the government. At the hearing, assistant attorney general Nicole Driscoll appeared for the government.

Driscoll said the government recognized Ray’s early acceptance of responsibility, lack of a substantial criminal record, and willingness to testify against her co-defendants if called to do so.

According to the plea deal, on Oct. 8, 2011, on Saipan, Ray, Arinna Reiong, Norna Tipingeni, Anson Sansi, and Mark Rudolph caused serious bodily injury to Tudela. Ray also beat up Bashar.

The incident happened at the Dhaka Store along Texas Road in the morning of Aug. 8, 2011.

When a police officer responded to the store, the cashier, Tudela, was found lying in a pool of blood on the floor.

Police said the five suspects beat up Tudela when the victim confronted Ray for slamming the phone on its console. Rudolph also allegedly tried to open the cash register.

Last January, Rudolph, 22, pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace and was sentenced to three months in prison.