Villanueva arrested; search for co-conspirators continues

The Department of Public Safety has arrested Juanita Villanueva, one of three individuals accused of robbing a man at gunpoint last Sunday, and the hunt for her two co-conspirators continues.

In a statement from DPS assistant chief of police and acting spokesperson Simon T. Manacop, he said that, with the help of federal law enforcement partners, DPS managed to locate and arrest Villanueva at 10:35am yesterday in a residence at San Antonio.

“Villanueva has been apprehended without incident. …DPS detectives, along with U.S. Marshals, located her at a residence…behind the Ador Restaurant in San Antonio,” he said.

DPS is still on the lookout for Villanueva’s co-conspirators. “Investigations continue in identifying the other two suspects,” Manacop said.

If anyone has information about this, they may call the DPS Criminal Investigation Division at 670-664-9042, DPS headquarters at 670-664-9001, or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 670-234-7272 if they wish to remain anonymous.

According to a previous Saipan Tribune article, the victim in the case claimed that he was robbed at gunpoint while parked at the San Antonio beach side behind the Francisco M. Sablan Middle School.

The victim told police he later drove to the Pacific Islands Club Saipan where he reported the incident.

Although the victim was unharmed, the suspects were able to steal his wallet containing $300, his CNMI driver’s license, a Discover credit card, and a Bank of Hawaii debit card.