Suspended police Capt. Ogumoro to work back at DPS

Suspended police Captain Aniceto T. Ogumoro may return to work at the Department of Public Safety after Superior Court associate judge Kenneth Govendo granted the Attorney General’s Office’s motion to dismiss the criminal case filed against him.

Attorney Joseph Norita Camacho told Saipan Tribune that Govendo on Thursday signed the order that officially dismissing the case against his client, Ogumoro.

“We are very happy for our client, Aniceto. I did get a chance to speak with DPS commissioner Rebecca Warfield and we anticipate that Aniceto will be going back to work,” Camacho said.

The lawyer, however, did not say when will Ogumoro be reinstated at DPS and what will be his position.

Ogumoro was the acting police director in February 2006 when police officers arrested him after they raided his house where they reportedly recovered three rifles and 25 boxes of ammunition.

The AGO charged him with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of possession of a weapon without proper registration, and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition. He pleaded not guilty.

On March 29, 2006 Govendo orally granted Ogumoro’s motion and suppressed all evidence seized at the raid at the defendant’s house in Capital Hill.

The AGO, through Chief Prosecutor Jeffery Warfield Sr., appealed to the CNMI Supreme Court the Govendo ruling.

Ogumoro, through Camacho and Viola Alepuyo, argued that the AGO’s appeal from Govendo’s decision, that suppressed all the evidence seized during the raid at his house, was untimely and therefore should be dismissed.

Jeffery Warfield then responded that Ogumoro’s argument that the appeal should be dismissed based on an untimely filing “is without merit and borders on being frivolous.”

But on Dec. 1, Jeffery Warfield changed his mind. He moved to dismiss with finality the case against Ogumoro.

He also filed a separate motion to dismiss the government’s appeal in the CNMI Supreme Court related to the same case.

In his motion to dismiss with prejudice, Jeffery Warfield explained that after review of the file and based upon Govendo’s granting of Ogumoro’s motion to suppress, the government is not convinced that sufficient evidence exists to prove the charges set forth in the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

In his separate motion to dismiss the appeal, the chief prosecutor stated that he had previously requested for an extension to file the government’s opening brief.

“Since that time, circumstances have arisen that compel a dismissal,” he pointed out.