By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
CHARLSTON Yamada Aiken was found guilty of assault and battery and disturbing the peace following a June 9 bench trial before Superior Court Presiding Judge Joseph N. Camacho.
The court reviewed testimony and evidence arising from two separate incidents in Chalan Kanoa and Laly Four before rendering its verdict.
Aiken, 44, had been charged with domestic violence, two counts of assault and battery, disturbing the peace, and resisting arrest. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Court-appointed attorney Steven Pixley represented him, while Assistant Attorney General Daniel Johnson prosecuted the case.
During the bench trial, responding officers testified that when they arrived at the I Zone shop on Beach Road on Sept. 23, they encountered witnesses who reported seeing Aiken slam his girlfriend to the ground and punch her several times. One officer testified that the victim appeared visibly shaken and had injuries consistent with the reported assault.
Another officer testified regarding the subsequent search for Aiken, describing how police located him on the roof of a residence in Laly Four. According to testimony, Aiken refused repeated commands to come down, barricaded himself, and eventually jumped from the roof. He sustained injuries and was transported to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation for treatment.
The prosecution also presented testimony concerning Aiken’s Oct. 21 arrest. Officers responding to another disturbance in Laly Four testified that Aiken was yelling, acting aggressively, and refusing to comply with their commands, leading to his arrest.
In issuing his verdict, Judge Camacho cited the consistency of the officers’ testimony, the physical evidence presented, and the victim’s statements. He found Aiken guilty of assault and battery and disturbing the peace.
Investigators also testified that videos depicting other incidents involving Aiken had circulated on social media. However, those recordings were not part of the charges considered by the court in the June 9 trial.
Judge Camacho scheduled Aiken’s sentencing for July 1 at 10 a.m.
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.
