By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
KEVIN Imaikita Esteves, 35, has been charged with assault and battery, disturbing the peace, and contempt of court following a fight with his brother over a t-shirt on Dec. 22, 2025.
Esteves appeared in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a bail hearing Friday before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho, who set a $10,000 cash bail.
Assistant Public Defender Emily Thomsen represented Esteves, while Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds appeared for the government. Camacho remanded Esteves to Corrections custody and ordered him to return for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 5 at 10 a.m. and an arraignment on Jan. 12 at 9 a.m.
According to the complaint, Esteves went to his parents’ house upset with his brother, who he said had given away one of his shirts. Esteves told his brother, “Go outside and I’m going to beat you up.” When his brother complied, Esteves punched him, police said. The two fell to the ground with Esteves on top until a female household member separated them.
The contempt charge stems from allegations that Esteves violated bail conditions in Criminal Case 25-0114, which required him to remain under house arrest and in the presence of a third-party custodian. No additional information was available for CR 25-0114 as of press time Sunday.
According to Variety news files, Esteves was previously sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, suspended except for two years and six months, for child abuse. He was scheduled for release on July 2, 2025.
Initially, Esteves was charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, assault and battery, and disturbing the peace. He pleaded guilty to child abuse. Prosecutors said Esteves touched the private parts of a minor household member on Dec. 31, 2022. The child’s mother reported the incident to police immediately after learning of it.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
