Judge Kenneth L. Govendo has retained the $25,000 bail he earlier imposed on Echalico, who is being held on charges of theft of vehicle, robbery, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
The charge of sale of alcohol to minors and persons without identification was not approved by the court.
Assistant Attorney General Shelli Neal represented the government.
Echalico told the court that he is working at the Pacific Islands Club.
Variety learned that he is a former Workforce Investment Agency trainee assigned to the Saipan Mayor’s Office. He was also a plumbing student of the Northern Marianas Trades Institute.
The court appointed Assistant Public Defender Matt Meyer as defense counsel and ordered Echalico to stay away from his victim and the victim’s employer.
Echalico was arrested and booked on the day of the incident, but was released by authorities.
Detective Patrick Sablan told the court that Officer Tarimai Yangetmai was dispatched to a reported theft of a vehicle incident in San Antonio on July 7 at about 5:20 p.m.
Police said Echalico initially posed as a customer, and asked about the price of cucumbers from the victim.
Echalico suddenly choked the roadside vegetable vendor, police said.
A second unidentified man, described by the victim as standing 5’11” tall and muscular, made his way to the victim’s pick-up truck and drove away.
Echalico jumped onto the vehicle’s bed and the pick-up headed west along Sagamilon Street in San Antonio.
Sablan said while patrolling Afetna Road and looking for the suspects, Officers Murphy Paul and Flor Estabillo came across Echalico whom they spotted running out of a secondary roadway in Afetna and heading to a residence.
Echalico matched the description of one of the suspects in this case.
The officers also noticed that Echalico was breathing very hard, sweating and was not wearing any shirt.
The victim positively identified Echalico as the one who choke him and took his pick-up truck.
A female witness was also interviewed by police and she confirmed what the victim told the officers.
She said the victim was dragged about nine feet away from his vehicle while being choked by one of the suspects.
The police did not mention details about the victim’s vehicle that was consumed by a fire on the same day in an open boonie area in Koblerville.
