by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Police Captain Mark Charfauros, who is detailed to the Department of Corrections, is off his 20-day administrative leave following his arrest on allegations of official misconduct earlier this month. The police captain has now been slapped with additional adverse action.

Charfauros was given a five-day suspension for speaking to KUAM News following his arrest several weeks ago. His attorney, Curtis Van De Veld, confirms his client will be filing an appeal of the final adverse action. Charfauros was found to have violated a Guam Police Department policy that prohibits police officers from talking to the media unless they get the chief's approval.

Charfauros spoke to KUAM News after he was arrested for an alleged security breach for allowing a police officer, who is currently in jail awaiting trial, his cell phone. "Enough is enough," he said. "I'm getting tired of this. I've kept my commitment to the governor that I would stay out of the media and I would not say anything that would bring GPD into bad light, but unfortunately I'm going to have to do this. I'm forced to do this. This is too much already."

Van De Veld believes the police policy is an unconstitutional infringement on his client's First Amendment right to free speech and the right to defend himself.

Charfauros had been picked up and booked and released on a single official misconduct charge for the alleged security breach at the Hagatna Detention Facility. As a result of the arrest, he was placed on 20 days administrative leave but was since given the 5 day suspension. At the time, Charfauros told KUAM News that he believed his arrest was a personal attack and a Gestapo tactic to try and have him removed from the force by certain unnamed captains in the police department.

Charfauros said in time he would be disclosing details of inappropriate activity of certain members of the police department that he says would put the department in a "very bad light".

Attorney Van De Veld has not said when that information would be disclosed, but confirms an appeal will be filed with the Civil Service Commission in the coming weeks.