Associate Judge Perry B. Inos also placed Dean James Priest, a resident of San Antonio, on six-month probation and ordered him to report to the Office of Adult Probation today.
Priest will pay a total of $125 in fines and assessment fees within 30 days, and undergo counseling for anger management at the Community Guidance Center. He must obey all CNMI and federal laws.
Inos set the review hearing for June 3, 2009 but the defendant will be excused if he has already complied with the probation conditions.
Priest appeared for a change of plea hearing on Jan. 7 with his lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Douglas W. Hartig. Chief Prosecutor Kevin Lynch represented the government.
Both parties reached a non-trial disposition after the defendant agreed enter a guilty plea to the offense of disturbing the peace.
Assault and battery is punishable by imprisonment of not more than one year, and a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.
Disturbing the peace is punishable by imprisonment of not more than six months and a fine of not more than $500 or both.
The Attorney General’s Office charged Priest with one count of assault and battery and one count of disturbing the peace.
Priest pulled a woman out of a vehicle by the hair and left her lying on the ground on April 18, 2008, the AGO stated.
The victim, a member of the defendant’s household is the daughter of a former CNMI judge.
