THE Department of Public Safety has arrested Mcpeterson Tipingeni, also known as “MC,” for two burglary and theft incidents at Hopwood Middle School in Chalan Piao.
DPS Public Information Officer Fred Sato, in a press statement on Tuesday, stated that on Feb. 24, 2023, at about 10:13 a.m., the police received a call regarding a reported burglary and theft incident at Hopwood.
Uniformed police officers were dispatched to the scene where they met with the school principal and were informed that the campus had been burglarized twice in just a week.
Sato said the first incident occurred on Feb. 17, 2023, at about 11:22 p.m. He added that the suspect was seen on a security camera breaking into the campus storage room.
The second incident occurred on Feb. 19, 2023, at about 9:32 a.m., Sato said, adding that the suspect was seen on a security camera running away from the school grounds holding what was later identified as a stolen item.
Sato said detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division were shown the campus security camera footage from the two separate incidents.
“The male individual was seen forcing entry into a campus storage room, and stealing items inside,”
Sato said. “The individual was seen on camera wearing a blue hooded shirt with a diamond pattern front print. In a separate photo, the individual was seen wearing dark short pants, blue striped tank-top with a red color t-shirt over his head,” the DPS PIO said.
Photos were provided to CNMI-Crime Stoppers which sought public assistance in identifying the suspect.
On Feb. 24, investigators received several tips regarding the identity of the suspect.
On March 2, at about 7:34 p.m., Superior Court Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio signed an arrest warrant for Mcpeterson Tipengeni on charges of burglary and theft with bail set at $25,000.
According to DPS, on the same evening, detectives arrested Tipingeni in Chalan Piao. He was then transported to the Department of Corrections where he was booked and detained.
Mcpeterson Tipingeni
