CHIEF Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the District Court for the NMI has remanded Eugene Ka Lok Wong to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service for violating his pretrial release condition.
Judge Manglona said she found by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant violated his conditions of release and he is unlikely to abide by them.
The judge revoked the defendant’s pretrial release effective immediately and ordered his detention pending trial.
Wong was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, and one count of attempt to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.
Wong, through attorney Mark Hanson, has pled not guilty. His jury trial is set for Oct. 5, 2021 at 10 a.m.
On June 1, 2021, the federal court released Wong on a $1,000 unsecured bond, with conditions that included pretrial supervision and random drug testing.
On June 16, 2021, the defendant’s conditions were modified to include that he participate in inpatient or outpatient substance abuse therapy and counseling after he admitted using methamphetamine on June 5 2021.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Probation Office told the court that the defendant had tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine, and that his sample was diluted, according to the refractometer, an instrument used to determine urine specific gravity.
In addition, Wong admitted to Probation Officer Gregory Arriola that he “snorted” Percocet while at a party and drank alcohol to the point of intoxication.
Percocet is a brand name for a drug with “a combination of the opioid oxycodone with paracetamol.”
Because it is an opioid medication, oxycodone can become addictive and is classified as a controlled substance, making it illegal to sell or use without a doctor’s prescription.
The probation officer’s report did not say how Wong obtained the Percocet.
But the defendant told the probation officer that methamphetamine may have been added to the substance he snorted.
Moreover, Wong executed an admission of drugs/alcohol form indicating he consumed Jack Daniel’s and meth on June 15, 2021.
The defendant was assessed for substance abuse treatment at the HOPE Recovery Center on June 21, 2021 and was referred to the Community Guidance Center for such treatment.
On June 25, 2021, the defendant reported to the U.S. Probation Office for substance abuse testing.
The result indicated presumptive positive for methamphetamine.
When confronted with the result, the defendant denied using the drug and asked Officer Arriola if “second-hand smoke” could cause such result.
Wong said he was in a car with his friends who were smoking ice.
