The Attorney General\u2019s Office filed charges yesterday against former Customs Dog Detector Program chief instructor Freddie Guajardo for allegedly stealing $5,000 from the government.<\/p>\n
Guajardo was charged with theft of services and misconduct in public office. He was summoned to appear and answer the charges in Superior Court.<\/p>\n
The government accused Guajardo of pocketing $5,000, which the Palau government paid to purchase K-9 dogs from the CNMI.<\/p>\n
The defendant denied the charges in a telephone interview with the Saipan Tribune yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been wrongfully accused,\u201d he said, stressing that he never received the money.<\/p>\n
Guajardo said he spent 15 years in Customs and that he never stole a single penny. He added he would prove his innocence in court.<\/p>\n
Guajardo reportedly became instrumental in the establishment of a strong Detector Dog Program for the CNMI. He retired last December.<\/p>\n
In other court news, Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth Govendo has imposed a 60-day jail term on a man who burglarized a house and stole some items.<\/p>\n
Govendo placed 50-year-old Joseph Boyer Pangelinan on three years probation and required him to pay a $500 fine plus court and probation fees.<\/p>\n
Govendo ordered the defendant to perform150 hours of community work service and prohibited him from drinking alcohol beverages during the probationary period.<\/p>\n
Court papers said that on Aug. 4, 2005, the defendant entered a property without permission and took various bags of fish, beef, and a pair of shoes, all totaling $250.<\/p>\n
Pangelinan pleaded guilty to burglary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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