Previous Story
$75 coconuts land man in hot water
|
Posted on Mar 09 2005
A 32-year-old Chuukese man was arrested yesterday and charged with theft by deception after he allegedly tried to charge tourists $75 for five pieces of coconuts.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Eric F. David said that Nickson Kereman assaulted five Japanese tourists at the Sugar King Park Tuesday morning but he turned himself in yesterday.
David said the five tourists, who recently graduated from college and decided to celebrate their achievement by visiting Saipan, told police that the suspect offered each of them a coconut to drink while touring the park.
“The tourists thought it was just a friendly offering,” David said.
Later, the suspect, who at the time was holding a machete, told the tourists they each had to pay $15 for each of the coconuts, for a total of $75.
“The tourists got frightened because he was holding a machete,” David said. “He did not use the machete to harm them, but that just frightened the tourists and so they paid.”
David said a call reporting the incident was received by the department at about 1:30pm. Officers then began their investigation, which led them to the suspect’s home just south of the park.
The officers went to the house but were told that the suspect was not home. David said the officers then advised the suspect’s family member to convince the suspect to turn himself in to authorities or a warrant for his arrest will be issued.
David said the family member was successful as the suspect turned himself in at 7:30am yesterday.
David said the tourists returned to Japan Tuesday afternoon.
“We do not tolerate these kinds of threats from the public to our tourists,” David said.
He said the incident was the second experienced at the park. Kereman, however, was not the suspect in the previous case.
