REPRESENTATIVE Vicente Castro Camacho pled not guilty to the allegation that he assaulted Steven L. Koch on Oct. 29 on Freedom Drive, Chinatown.
Camacho appeared before Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja on Tuesday morning and was represented attorney Michael White.
The judge then scheduled a status conference for Jan. 11 at 1:30 p.m. in the courtroom of Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio.
As for Tiepo A. Nikiti, a co-defendant in the case, his arraignment was rescheduled for Nov. 29, at 9 a.m.
Nikiti, 21, and Camacho, 60, were each charged by the Office of the Attorney General with assault and battery, and disturbing the peace.
According to court documents, Nikiti and Camacho on Oct. 29 “did willfully and unreasonably annoy or disturb Steven L. Koch and/or [his daughter] Melanie C. Koch, depriving them of their right to peace and quiet, to wit: defendant approached Steven L. Koch and Melanie C. Koch, while they were walking on a public street, in a threatening manner and engaged in a physical confrontation with Steven L. Koch, in violation of 6 CMC § 3101(a).”
The court documents added that the defendants “did unlawfully strike, beat, wound, or otherwise caused bodily harm to Steven L. Koch, to wit: defendant did strike Steven L. Koch with his hand, in violation of 6 CMC § 1202(a).”
Assault and battery are punishable by a maximum sentence of up to one year and a $1,000 fine, or both. Disturbing the peace is punishable by a maximum sentence not to exceed six months’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than $500, or both.
No court information was available for the 14-year-old juvenile who was also accused of assaulting Koch.
Camacho was arrested by the Department of Public Safety on the evening of Nov. 2, 2021, but he immediately posted $1,250 cash bail and is out of custody.
Koch suffered abrasions, bruising, and pain on his head and body from the blows, and was taken to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. for examination.
On Nov. 1, Koch, his wife and daughter sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Camacho and three other individuals “from engaging in any further physical harm, disturbance, harassment, blocking, threats and verbal abuse.”
On Nov. 12, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho found cause for domestic violence, and granted a temporary restraining order and one-year protective order against Camacho, Ignacio “Ike” S. Concepcion, Fiel Reynaldo Ortiz, and Tiepo A. Nikiti.
The order of protection will be valid up to Nov. 8, 2022, unless extended by the court.
The assault incident stemmed from a long-standing animosity between Koch and his brother-in-law, Ignacio ‘Ike” Concepcion, and took place near the homes of Koch and Concepcion on Freedom Drive, Chinatown around 11 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2021.
Vicente Camacho
