“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.

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.

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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.