NEWS: Castro's father was #2 at TSA; new videos emerge showing assault

By Alesia Quinata

news@kanditnews.com

(Barrigada, Guam) Andrew Castro, the man seen in surveillance footage trying to break into his Mangilao neighbor's home to assault him, is the son of a retired Guam Police captain and the former assistant Federal Security Director at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration Guam office.

Kandit last week confirmed with seaport general manager Rory Respicio that Andrew Castro is employed at the seaport and possesses federal security clearance to work on its highly-secured docks. The clearance is a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card, which is issued by TSA. Andrew Castro was hired by former seaport general manager Joanne Brown in October 2017, then promoted by her immediately before leaving office in January 2019 to the position of stevedore.

Andrew Castro is a federal drug convict, released from prison only two months prior to his hire by Ms. Brown. According to TSA, one is disqualified from having a TWIC card clearance if the application for the card is made within five years of release from prison for drug charges.

His father, Larry Castro, was second-in-command of the TSA Guam operation for years prior to his son's hire. He resigned amid controversy.

Prior to his stint at TSA, Larry Castro was a police captain. He also served as chairman of the Guam Police Commission.

Meanwhile, two more surveillance videos from the night Andrew Castro was caught on tape have emerged. The events depicted in these clips occurred prior to the events in the first video.

One of the videos shows Andrew Castro and his girlfriend - Eugenio Estrellado's (the victim whose home Andrew Castro was trying to break into) ex-wife - arriving at the front door of Mr. Estrellado's home. Andrew Castro is seen trying to break down the door and taking an offensive posture to assault Mr. Estrellado. His girlfriend tries to stop him, and Andrew Castro assaults her.

The last video depicts the backside of Mr. Estrellado's home. In the center of the screen you can see a person walking up the hill to the back of the house then turn to the right of the screen to the area behind the garden shed, which is perched against the back door. As the person turned toward the garden shed, you can see a large object fall (this is one of the aquariums the Estrellado family found destroyed Wednesday morning), then a door on the right side of the screen swing open violently.

That door, according to Mr. Estrellado, was locked. It was the metal security door.

On Tuesday morning, after discovering the footage Kandit first released last week, Mr. Estrellado tried to make a criminal complaint against Mr. Castro at the Tamuning Tumon precinct with an Officer Mark Terlaje. Mr. Terlaje told Mr. Estrellado he could not make the complaint there. Mr. Estrellado then called the Hagatna precinct, and that precinct sent four police officers to Mr. Estrellado's home, including Andrew Castro's close personal friend, Officer Tim Flores.

Mr. Estrellado was able to identify the other two male officers by their last names only, Pocaigue and Mendiola. Officer Pocaigue's name is written on the return of vehicle card issued to Mr. Estrellado in response to his complaint against Mr. Castro. The fourth officer is a female, whose name Mr. Estrellado never got.

The officers refused to take the evidence Mr. Estrellado was presenting to them. One of the male officers ordered Mr. Estrellado to go back in his home prior to heading to Andrew Castro's home. The officers emerged from Andrew Castro's home without arresting him. They never took any notes when Mr. Estrellado was telling them what happened.

Kandit on Tuesday gave the first video and the pictures of the officers and their squad cars to police spokesman Sgt. Paul Tapao, who said he would raise the issue with the police command and get back to us. Mr. Tapao still has not responded to this matter.

Mr. Estrellado and his family are living in fear and feel they have no recourse for protection at this point. They have been victims of violent crimes, reported the crimes to police, and the police have ignored their pleas for help.