A man who accused his wife of having an affair and strangled her with an electric cord has entered a guilty plea and slapped with a five-year jail term.
Daniel Sablan Jr., 29, signed a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, disturbing the peace, and violating an order of protection.
In exchange for the guilty plea, the Office of the Attorney General dismissed the remaining seven charges.
Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo accepted the plea agreement and Sablan's guilty plea last week.
In a written order issued on Tuesday, Govendo sentenced Sablan to a total of five years in prison, with credit for 57 days that the defendant had already spent in jail.
After completing the jail time, the defendant will be placed on five years of probation.
Sablan will be required to complete and pay all applicable fees for anger management counseling, alcohol counseling, and any other recommended counseling by the treatment provider or the Office of Adult Probation upon his release from prison.
The defendant is prohibited from possessing or consuming any alcoholic beverages during the entirety of his probation.
Govendo ordered the defendant to pay a $1,000 fine, $119.46 in restitution, plus probation and court costs.
The judge also required Sablan to perform 200 hours of community work service.
According to the plea deal, on May 4, 2012 on Saipan, Sablan after consuming alcohol and while under court's order of protection, choked his wife with an electric cord.
The choking was done in a manner that could have caused the wife's death or serious bodily injury. The defendant's actions disturbed the peace of his wife and mother-in-law.
Detective Catherine Pangelinan stated in her report that, a police officer responded at 12:54am to a house in As Matuis where a caller reported a disturbance.
Pangelinan said when the officer went inside the house, he observed the victim crying and holding her throat with her left hand.
The officer noticed that the victim was having a hard time breathing as she had red line marks with scratches and cuts around her neck.
The victim also had blood spots on lower arm area and her upper lip was swelling. Medics later came and provided the victim with oxygen treatment.
Pangelinan said during an interview with the officer, the victim narrated how Sablan beat her up and choked her with the electric cord.
The victim managed to shout for help. A few seconds later, her mother opened the door and stopped Sablan from strangling the victim.
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