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Pena House burglar gets 2-year prison term
A man who was caught on surveillance camera burglarizing and stealing money and an iPad from the Pena House Boutique in Chalan Kanoa has pleaded guilty and was slapped with a two-year prison term.
Mark Anthony Benavente, 34, pleaded guilty to burglary last week as part of a plea deal.
Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman sentenced Benavente to five years imprisonment, all suspended except for two years, with credit for two months of time served. He was remanded to the Department of Corrections and is expected to be released on March 13, 2017.
After serving his sentence, Benavente will be placed on probation for five years. He was ordered to pay restitution of $580.66 and $600 to Pena House Boutique and Peter Sablan, respectively. Sablan is the husband of Pena House’s owner.
Benavente was also required to pay a $100 fine, $100 court assessment fee, plus probation fee, perform 200 hours of community service, complete a drug and alcohol counseling and other recommended counseling by the Community Guidance Center, and write a letter of apology to Pena House.
As part of the plea deal, the remaining theft charge was dropped.
Assistant attorney general Heather Barcinas appeared for the government. Assistant public defender Matthew Meyer served as counsel for Benavente.
Benavente burglarized Pena House Boutique on March 2, 2015, breaking into the back door by damaging the deadbolt and doorknob. Once inside, he forcibly opened the cash register and stole $100 and an iPad owned by Sablan.
Police said that several persons, including Benavente’s family members and a former girlfriend, identified the person in the surveillance footage as the defendant.
