Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho on Monday dismissed without prejudice all misconduct in public office charges against Lt. Gov. Dennis Mendiola, Homeland Security official Joey Dela Cruz, and Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Lt. Justin Paul Mizutani.
The three officials were accused of misusing public funds to rent vehicles and transport one of them to Rota illegally.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Public Integrity Task Force under the Office of the Attorney General, led by Assistant Attorney General Olga Kelley. The task force includes the Department of Public Safety and the Office of the Public Auditor and investigates white-collar crimes, government corruption and financial misconduct.
Camacho granted the Commonwealth’s motion to dismiss the case following a series of procedural missteps by the prosecution. Those issues began after the court’s Dec. 17 order requiring the government to file a bill of particulars by Jan. 5. The defense had sought the bill to clarify allegations in the original August 2025 information.
Instead of complying, the government filed a first amended information on Dec. 31, adding new and different charges. Defense attorneys moved to strike the amended filing, arguing it violated the court’s order and improperly altered the case.
During Monday’s hearing, Kelley acknowledged she had no experience with bills of particulars and believed an amended information served the same purpose. Camacho rejected that interpretation, writing in his order that the two documents serve “distinct legal functions.”
A bill of particulars, he wrote, is meant to “amplify” existing charges and limit the evidence at trial, while an amended information replaces the original charging document entirely and may introduce new facts or legal theories.
Camacho likened the government’s response to being asked for the ingredients of concrete but instead delivering “a stack of plywood and tin roof.”
The government ultimately opted to dismiss the case, and the defendants did not oppose the request. The court vacated all future hearings and left open the possibility for the Commonwealth to refile charges.
