Roberto Santos, 47, and Sarapio M. Dellipou, 57, both employed with Global Triple K. Security Agency, were brought to the Superior Court for a bail hearing yesterday.
Associate Judge Perry B. Inos imposed a $500 unsecured bond on each of the two defendants and subjected them to several court conditions.
If they will post bail, they must return to court whenever required to do so, obey all commonwealth laws, surrender their travel documents and not leave Saipan without court permission. They must stay away from all seaports and airports and from all conservation areas in the CNMI, including Managaha.
The defendants were represented by Chief Public Defender Adam Hardwicke while Assistant Attorney General William Downer represented the government.
Inos set the preliminary hearing for March 10 and the arraignment for March 16.
According to an affidavit filed by Conservation Officer 2 Jesus A. Omar, at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday, he, Conservation Technician Peter Teigita and Wildlife Technician Paul Lisue were on a routine patrol at the Managaha Marine Conservation area when they saw two individuals — Santos and Dellipou — holding fishing lines in the water.
Omar said they caught the two with five pieces of needle nose fish inside a plastic bag and placed in a trash bin. They confiscated the fish, two pieces of plywood with fishing lines, and one bottle wrapped with fishing line.
Omar said Santos told him he only caught one fish and it got away, and that it was Dellipou who caught the five needle nose fish.
Officer Ray Cabrera told the defendants that they knew they were not supposed to fish at Managaha.
Both defendants were charged with one count of prohibited activities for harvesting and catching fish and other marine life of natural resources within the designated boundaries of the conservation area.
They were transported to the Department of Corrections for booking and detention.
