The paternal grandmother of the 10-year old girl returned to her parents in the United States in November, pleaded guilty to charges of abuse of a family member in September 2020.
According to court documents provided to Island Times, named defendant, Sayuri Sasao, admitted to “physically” pushing her 10-year old grandchild, “by hitting her on the face and head with a rolling pin resulting in severe bruises to the child’s face.”
Sasao was handed down her “misdemeanor” sentence last year. In the judgment and sentence of a guilty plea, Sasao received one year of supervised probation, which included 48 hours imprisonment with full credit to time already served.
She was also ordered to pay a fine of $100 and was told not to have any “abusive contact” with the grandchild.
Sasao was also sentenced to undergo complete Domestic Violence courses at Behavioral Health.
Seattle-based Q13 Fox reported over the weekend, that Sasao’s grandchild arrived in Palau in 2019 reportedly on her invitation. But the girl’s return to Washington was not only hampered by the pandemic but due to allegations of abuse from her grandmother as well. The child’s parents then sought the help of the FBI to bring her home.
Attorney General Ernestine Rengiil said the AG’s office coordinated with the FBI to repatriate the child back to her parents through a military plane flight out of Palau on November 23, 2020.
But despite the case involving a US citizen and the US military, former Minister of State Faustina Marugg said she was not aware of the case.
“I was not aware of the case. We did not receive a diplomatic note from the US government regarding the matter.”
Former Vice President and Minister of Justice, Raynold Oilouch, even with the FBI’s involvement in the case was also not briefed on the matter at that time.
“I knew absolutely nothing about it. Those military planes came to Palau through communication between the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of State and possibly MPIIC. MOJ was not privy to those discussions.”
Rengiil said because it involved a minor, the case has not been brought out to the public. ( B. Carreon)
Grandmother pled guilty to abuse, case sealed due to minor involved
