SAIPAN – Joaquin Deleon Guerrero Jr., 42, has been charged with illegal possession of a controlled substance, in addition to theft and tampering with a vehicle, after police linked him to the theft of gasoline from a Joeten Kiyu Public Library vehicle.
During a bail hearing on Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Heather Barcinas requested that $20,000 cash bail remain in place. Superior Court Judge Joseph N. Camacho granted the request and remanded Deleon Guerrero to the Department of Corrections.
His preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 17, with arraignment scheduled for Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. The court will appoint legal counsel.
According to police, Deleon Guerrero arrived at the home of John Roman Lisua, a wanted suspect, on Aug. 29 in a silver Nissan Frontier. Officers observed a Ziploc bag and a rolled-up hose and container matching those seen in surveillance footage of the library gas theft.
When asked to exit his vehicle, Deleon Guerrero allegedly discarded a glass pipe containing methamphetamine residue, which tested positive.
Lisua told police that the two were preparing for another “gas mission,” using containers to steal fuel in exchange for meth. Lisua also implicated Deleon Guerrero in multiple prior gas thefts.
Lisua, 40, has also been charged with theft and vehicle tampering involving government property.
