A Department of Corrections officer accused of attempting to smuggle drugs into the correctional facility pleaded not guilty during his arraignment hearing on May 11 in Superior Court.
Cleon Otto Reyes Pacho, through counsel Keith Chambers II, also waived formal reading of the charge during the hearing before Superior Court Presiding Judge Joseph N. Camacho and newly sworn in Associate Judge Joey Patrick San Nicolas.
Office of the Attorney General Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds appeared for the government. Pacho, who was released after posting $2,500 bail, was accompanied by his father and third-party custodian, Franklin Pacho.
According to a complaint and affidavit filed by Department of Public Safety Det. Jonathan Joe N. Aguon, investigators received information that contraband would be brought into DOC on the evening of March 24.
At around 7:45pm, Criminal Investigations Bureau personnel conducted surveillance near the facility. At about 8:40pm, officers allegedly observed a red Toyota Corolla enter the northern employee parking lot, where Pacho was seen approaching the vehicle. Investigators said a female passenger handed him a plastic bag before the vehicle drove away.
Police later stopped the vehicle along Chalan Kiya on Monsignor Guerrero Road and identified the driver as Jose Blas and the passenger as Pacho’s co-defendant, Regina Visitacion Camacho Bowie.
Inside DOC, internal affairs officers and Capt. Benjamin Lizama intercepted Pacho and searched the bag. Authorities alleged the package contained zip-lock bags with a green leafy substance and a crystalline substance, along with barbecue sticks, sodas, smokeless tobacco and lighters.
Investigators said the crystalline substance later tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine and weighed about 0.96 grams.
Pacho was arrested at about 8:50pm, while Bowie was arrested shortly after the traffic stop.
During a March 25 interview, Pacho allegedly waived his rights and told investigators he received a call during his shift from a woman claiming she had food for an inmate identified as “Max.”
According to investigators, Pacho said he confirmed with the inmate that it was “just food” and left his post after asking another officer to cover for him so he could retrieve the items.
Police said Pacho told investigators he intended to bring the package to his supervisor but was stopped before he could do so. He also allegedly said he did not know what was inside the bag.
The arraignment had originally been scheduled for April 13 but was postponed following the onset of Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
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