2 more robberies

Two poker arcades on Saipan were robbed yesterday morning and shortly before noon, but police immediately arrested an ex-convict.

The Department of Public Safety has yet to release information about the two robberies.

Saipan Tribune learned that first to be robbed was Smile Poker in Chalan Kanoa at about 5am, followed by Viva Poker in front of Bank of Guam in Chalan Piao shortly before noon. No one was injured in both cases.

Shortly after the Viva Poker robbery, police arrested Marlon Martin. It is not clear yet whether he was also the suspect in the Smile Poker robbery.

In the Smile Poker case, sources said a masked suspect managed to get $60.

There was a security guard assigned at that time, a resident in the area said.

No other details were available as of press time.

In the Viva Poker incident, the suspect, armed with a rebar or a hammer, managed to run off with $2,777.

Footage from a surveillance camera at a nearby establishment showed the robber running away from Viva Poker at 11:58am.

The suspect, who was wearing a baseball cap and dark cloth covering his face, appeared to be very “happy,” said two persons who saw the footage.

Sources said that Martin’s girlfriend lives near the back area of Viva Poker.

There was also an attempt to rob Viva Poker last month, a worker in the area said.

Martin pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was sentenced in April 2010 to seven years in prison, with no parole. Martin and his co-defendant, Fernando C. Quitano, used a sledgehammer to smash their way into 24 Hours Pawnshop in Chalan Kanoa on Oct. 23, 2009.

The two, wearing masks, smashed the cashier’s booth and attacked the employees and a 73-year-old man with a crowbar and sledgehammer.

Quitano was convicted and got a 42-year prison sentence in June 2011.