Officer Donny Pangelinan took a deferred plea in a family violence case from last year in which he agreed to undergo treatment in exchange for an expunged case.
Guam – A police officer who’s been arrested in the past for family violence, has been arrested again on similar allegations, but according to police, this time he “went too far.”
A magistrate complaint says that 33-year-old police officer Donny Pangelinan was arrested on Saturday after his wife reported to police that he had “slapped, punched, kicked and choked” her. The woman told police that it happened on two separate occasions within the past week.
This is not the first time Pangelinan was arrested for assaulting the same woman. In May last year, Pangelinan was accused of slapping his wife in the face several times. In that case he was charged with family violence as a misdemeanor.
He initially pleaded not guilty but later took a deferred plea. A deferred plea is when a defendant pleads guilty to a charge but agrees to undergo a rehabilitation program where he must meet certain conditions–in this instance, for a period of up to three years. If the defendant succeeds and completes the program, the charges are dismissed and the case is expunged.
Court records show that Pangelinan took the deferred plea in November last year. Under the agreement, he was required to take anger management classes, report to Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center for treatment, check in with probation once a month, undergo regular drug and alcohol testing, undergo counseling, give up any firearms and finally, not to harass, threaten or assault the victim or any other household members in the case.
Pangelinan apparently remained on the force even after his arrest from last year and after taking the deferred plea. And apparently, police say, Pangelinan violated the conditions of his plea agreement.
According to the victim, earlier this month, Pangelinan assaulted her again, but this time to the point where she actually passed out. A report states that the two had gotten into an argument but then Pangelinan became violent and began hitting her. As the victim tried to leave, Pangelinan, the complaint says, held her down on a bench and began to strangle her.
“The victim lost consciousness and fell into a seizure, shaking uncontrollably,” the report states.
Police later read text messages from the victim’s cell phone in which Pangelinan said that he “went too far this time” and “I nearly killed u.”
The Guam Police Department has launched an administrative investigation into Pangelinan.
