By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
AN overnight patrol led to the arrest of Albert Kaipat, 49; Nola Magofna, 34; and Norlina Kaipat, 37, after police officers discovered evidence of fuel siphoning and a controlled substance near the Saipan Mayor’s Office early Saturday, according to the Department of Public Safety.
In a statement issued Tuesday, DPS said that at about 1:59 a.m., a patrol officer observed a green Toyota Camry parked west of the Mayor’s Office building near the Ada gym. DPS said two men exited the vehicle and walked north along the western side of the building, where several government vehicles were parked.
Roughly 13 minutes later, the men returned, opened the trunk, and re-entered the car. The officer relayed the activity to dispatch, and responding units stopped the vehicle at the entrance roadway to the Mayor’s Office.
Officers obtained consent to search the vehicle and found a 5-gallon fuel container filled with gasoline and a green hose emitting a strong gasoline odor inside the trunk.
A check of the northwestern parking area revealed a strong smell of gasoline and a government vehicle with a cut fuel hose.
All three occupants were detained. During a pat-down search of the female passenger, conducted by a female officer, police found a Ziploc bag containing a white crystalline substance. A TruNarc test conducted at about 3:27 a.m. yielded a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine. The substance weighed approximately 0.57 grams, DPS said.
Albert Kaipat and Nola Magofna were arrested on suspicion of vandalism and theft. Norlina Kaipat was arrested on suspicion of vandalism, theft, and illegal possession of a controlled substance.
All three were transported to the Department of Corrections for booking and detention. DPS said the case remains under active investigation.
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.
