“Deeply disappointing.” That’s how emergency management and public safety chairman Sen. Shawn Gumataotao described the arrest of Guam Office of Civil Defense Administrator Charles Esteves for allegedly assaulting a woman in a Washington, D.C. hotel room in March.
Esteves, a member of the Leon Guerrero administration and a classified employee, was the subject of an arrest warrant.
He appeared in the District Court of Guam on Saturday and was released on his own recognizance and ordered to comply with any restraining orders in the case.
Prosecutors want to bring Esteves back to Washington, D.C. to answer the charge.
“The judicial process is underway between the U.S. District Court of Guam and the U.S. Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the alleged crimes committed by Charles Esteves. Mr. Esteves is facing serious criminal charges and is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Gumataotao said in a statement.
When contacted by the Pacific Daily News on Saturday, Esteves declined comment on the advice of counsel.
He is set to appeal in federal court at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday for a status hearing to address whether the District Court has jurisdiction on the request to send him to Washington, D.C.
Esteves on leave
Esteves is also a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army National Guard.
Prior to Esteves’ appearance on Saturday in federal court, he’s on an annual military training from May 5 to 9, May 12 to 16, and May 19 to 23, based on documents showing an official acting designation that the Guam Office of Civil Defense filed with the Legislature.
Jon Junior Calvo, the governor’s chief of staff, is the acting Civil Defense administrator from May 5 to 25, in Esteves’ absence “to ensure operational continuity,” the same documents show.
As of Sunday, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s office has yet to issue a statement about the charges against Esteves.
Charging documents from the District of Columbia stated that Esteves became angry and started yelling at a woman, a Guam resident whose name has been redacted from court filings, around 3 a.m. in a room on March 23 at the Washington Hilton.
Court documents stated Esteves straddled her as she was lying on the bed and reportedly pulled her hair, placed both hands around her neck, began to choke her, threatened to kill her family, and urinated on the bed and the woman’s clothing.
Indicted
Esteves is one of six employees at the Office of Civil Defense indicted in April in a case involving overtime payments at the agency.
On May 1, he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of certifying officer malfeasance and two counts of official misconduct, all with a special allegation of commission of a crime against the community.
(10) comments
So how much is this scenario going to cost Tax payers? I can just imagine.
ADULTERY IS A GRAVE OFFENSE FOR AN OFFICER IN THE MILITARY.
ADULTERY IS A PUNISHABLE OFFENSE UNDER THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE.
Many officers have received court martials for the offense of ADULTERY. Many have been punished for ADULTERY, such as forced out of the military, reduction in rank, fines, relieved of all command, and so on.
The military does not view adultery as lightly as civilian society might. When an officer commits ADULTERY he is showing a lack of integrity, and honesty, and that he/she cannot be trusted to obey the laws and regulations. Additionally, the troops under that officer have no respect for that officer, nor do not want to serve with someone who cannot be trusted, and who cannot lead by example.
Sounds like some rough, dirty sex - the kind some people like, maybe even the woman who is blackmailing him with false charges, eh?
Wait, aren't you a Me Too person? Aren't you thr defender of the weak and abused? Aren't you for women's rights?
Our Guam representative goes on a taxpayer-funded trip to Washington, D.C. to represent Guam at a Homeland Security Conference.
It is disconcerting that the man who represents Guam, and who is supposed to be rested, mentally alert, ready for conferences and briefings, and presenting an image of what Guam citizens are like, is cavorting in bed with a woman at 3 AM in the morning.
And if that wasn't bad enough, he goes off on her for some reason.
After all the fraudulent overtime and malfeasance at the DHS, who in their right mind would send this inflated scumbag of a crook to represent Guam??????????
What is disturbing is Sen. Gumataotao refuses to acknowledge that Trump is already a convicted felon unlike little league Estevez.
What is disturbing is your unhealthy mental state and infatuation with a man.
...somebody, pls tell him his opinion doesn't count and is as worthless as the lies of Esteves...
Off topic again Mathew P.
LOL - ALWAYS!! I now skip past all his posts and ignore it. So senseless and meaningless. I have no time to waste good effort in even trying to comprehend what he's trying to say.
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