By Bryan Manabat
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE Office of the Attorney General has filed two misdemeanor vandalism charges against Israeli national Ariel Shtul, accusing him of spray-painting a shipping container belonging to San Jose resident Ponce Rasa on two separate occasions earlier this year, according to court documents.
In an information filed June 22, prosecutors allege that Shtul “unlawfully destroyed, damaged and/or defaced” Rasa’s property on Jan. 30 and again on Feb. 2, each time spray-painting the same shipping container in San Jose. Both counts cite violations of 6 CMC § 1805(a), which carry a maximum penalty of a $250 to $1,000 fine and up to 40 hours of community service per offense.
The filing, signed by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Johnson, stems from DPS Case Nos. 26-000680 and 26-000740.
The criminal charges come as Shtul continues to face separate immigration issues. He was released on bail following his arrest in May by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying his visa. According to information obtained by Variety, Shtul’s B-2 tourist visa expired on May 2, and ICE agents arrested him in Garapan near Monster Pizza.
A penal summons issued June 25 orders Shtul to appear before Presiding Judge Joseph N. Camacho at 10 a.m. on Aug. 5 in Superior Courtroom 220A. The summons warns that failure to appear may result in a warrant for his arrest. It also advises that defendants who cannot afford an attorney may apply for court-appointed representation through the Office of Probation.
The vandalism allegations outlined in the information mirror earlier reports that led to his February arrest by the Department of Public Safety.
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.
