By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

A MAN and a woman charged with disturbing the peace and resisting arrest got probation after pleading guilty.
Conrad S. Montano, 27, and Marian R. Demapan, 33, were convicted by the Superior Court.
Montano appeared for a change of plea hearing on Jan. 23 with attorney Steven Pixley and entered an Alford plea to the offense of resisting arrest.
An Alford plea is a form of a guilty plea — the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence, but admits that sufficient evidence exists with which the prosecution could likely convince a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty.
The court may then pronounce the defendant guilty and impose sentence as if the defendant has otherwise been convicted of the crime.
Associate Judge Kenneth Govendo accepted Montano’s plea and sentenced him to one year of imprisonment all suspended except for the first 24 hours with credit for time already served in jail.
Assistant Attorney General Joseph Taijeron agreed to dismiss the disturbing the peace charge against Montano.
The defendant was placed on probation for a period of one year and was ordered to pay a fine of $250 and an assessment fee of $25.
He will perform 80 hours of community work service.
Demapan appeared for a change of plea hearing on Jan. 30 with Assistant Public Defender Adam Hardwicke and entered a guilty plea to disturbing the peace.
The government agreed to dismiss the resisting arrest charge against Demapan.
Govendo accepted her plea and sentenced her to six months of imprisonment all suspended.
Demapan was placed on probation for six months and was ordered to pay a fine of $250 and a $25 assessment fee.
Demapan will perform 80 hours of community work service.
Montano and Demapan were charged with resisting arrest and disturbing the peace for annoying or disturbing the peace of Jason Fuentes Armintia, Jeffrey Mendez, Christopher Lely and Alvin Daproza on March 31, 2006.
The two defendants also resisted when a police officer tried to arrest them.