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NEWS: Cops ignore plea for help



By Alesia Quinata


(Barrigada, Guam) A man and his family are fearful for their safety after his neighbor was caught on camera trying to break the man's door down and postured at his doorstep ready to punch him. The police were called, and despite the criminal mischief, trespass, vandalism, attempted forced entry, and threat of violence, police let the suspect go.


The victim, Eugenio Estrellado, wasn't home at the time, but reviewed the surveillance footage from the early morning hours Tuesday after his step-father told him that someone was banging on the door while the stepfather was home. Mr. Estrellado's stepfather was fearful and did not want to check who was at the door.




The video footage shows Mr. Estrellado's neighbor, Andrew Castro, attempt to force open Mr. Estrellado's door, then take a fighting posture with his fists raised at the doorstep waiting for someone to answer the door. The footage, which was recorded after midnight Tuesday morning, then shows a woman trying to stop Mr. Castro before he shoves her twice. They finally leave the camera's frame after a brief fight.


Plot twist

The woman caught on the video footage is Mr. Estrellado's ex-wife, who according to Mr. Estrellado was caught having an affair in late 2018 with Mr. Castro. The two divorced in early 2019, and the woman continued her relationship with Mr. Castro.


Mr. Estrellado now is friends with Mr. Castro's ex-wife, who also divorced her husband due to the affair.


Other neighbors have witnessed Mr. Castro harass Mr. Estrellado and his family over the past year. They say they have called police on a number of occasions, when they believed Mr. Castro to be drunk and becoming belligerent, but there were no responses to their reports.


Police refuse to take evidence, make no arrest



After viewing the surveillance footage, Mr. Estrellado called friends in the police department, who advised him to go to any precinct to file a complaint. He went to the Tumon precinct Tuesday morning, where he was told by Officer Mark Terlaje that they could not take his complaint.


Chief of Police Stephen Ignacio, Special Assistant to the Chief of Police Lt. Amaguin, and police spokesman Paul Tapao all have told Kandit and the public numerous times that citizens can file criminal complaints at any police station or at the office of the Chief of Police.


After Mr. Estrellado was turned away from the Tumon precinct, he decided to call the Hagatna precinct, where the desk attendant dispatched police officers to his Mangilao home to take the complaint.



Four police officers arrived. Mr. Estrellado was able to identify them as Tim Flores, a man with the last name 'Pocaigue,' a man with the last name 'Mendiola,' and a female police officer whose name he did not catch. He provided photos of the officers and their squad vehicles as well.


Mr. Estrellado showed the officers the footage showing Mr. Castro's crimes. He offered to give the footage to the officers, but they refused. He then asked the officers to come into his home to see the damage done to the door and the broken frames and displaced property that was hanging on the back side of the door. They refused to look, according to Mr. Estrellado.


When Mr. Estrellado asked if the officers instead were going to call crime scene investigators to look at the damage and take the video, one of the male officers exclaimed, "Fuck!" Another male officer angrily directed Mr. Estrellado, "Go into your house!"



One of the officers went to the perimeter of the property away from Mr. Estrellado, then got on his cell phone before calling the other officers to go to Mr. Castro's house. When the officers returned to Mr. Estrellado's house they gave him a Guam Police Department Report and Vehicle Release Information card with the report number 20-705, and an indication that the type of report was for "Criminal mischief." Under the space for the officer writing the card, "POI Pocaigue" is written.


The officers did not arrest Mr. Castro, and did not take any evidence, including pictures of the crime scene. Mr. Estrellado said none of the officers even took notes while he was explaining the crimes.


This morning the Estrellado family woke to Mr. Estrellado's brother's aquariums at the back of their home destroyed.


Mr. Castro is the son of a former high-ranking police leader, who also lives in the home, where Mr. Castro lives, according to Mr. Estrellado.


Kandit spoke with Sgt. Tapao this afternoon and forwarded the video and images of the officers and their squad cars to him. Mr. Tapao said he will speak with the command staff about the situation and will get back to Kandit when he has more information.

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4 Comments


elkapitan
Jan 08, 2020

Also why is this police report concerning a " Vehicle Release Information card" very interesting!!

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elkapitan
Jan 08, 2020

I might have missed it in the article, but what is this compound that is in the picture that has so much razor wire and also constantina wire on the chain link fence line.

Is this a correctional or other Govt facility?

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elkapitan
Jan 08, 2020

And I thought the NMI cop shop was bad. just shows it is all about who you know, family name or prior and/or present position within the Govt.

Corruption at it's best, in this case it seems to follow the "blue code"

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Boycott Marianas Variety.

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