by Nick Delgado

Guam - Another employee at the Guam Police Department is leaving the agency to retire. Legal Counsel Jim Mitchell confirmed with KUAM News that he is retiring from government service saying he's "going to take a long vacation". He would not say whether his departure is related to the recent controversy involving the raid of the KUAM Studios in Harmon two weeks ago.

During Monday's oversight hearing there were conflicting statements by GPD top brass, whether Mitchell was briefed about the forthcoming raid (some said he was, while others said he wasn't informed about the search warrant).

When asked if he had anything to say about the reason for his retirement, Mitchell spouted, "I'm eligible - is that a good enough reason? Thank you!"

Mitchell, a former acting chief prosecutor at the Attorney General's Office, was hired as the police department's legal counsel in October 2005, earning $90,000 a year. There's no word on who will replace him when he retires.