A magistrate complaint filed in the Superior Court of Guam by the Office of the Attorney General accuses two men of illegal gun possession. While one defendant appeared in court, the other is being sought by police.
The complaint filed against Frank Rivera Meno and Jordan Jay Chargualaf stems from a traffic stop along Route 4 in the Malojloj area on Oct. 7 at about 2:10 a.m. Guam police officers said the traffic stop was initiated after noticing the vehicle did not have a front license plate and the rear license plate was “covered by a tint plate cover,” obstructing the view.
“Frank operated the vehicle while Jordan sat behind the driver’s seat. The officers noticed in plain view a firearm on the floorboard at the rear passenger area in the immediate vicinity, and accessible to both occupants,” the magistrate complaint said.
Police said Meno and Chargualaf did not have firearms IDs.
The two men were “ordered” out of the vehicle. According to police, Chargualaf exited first and was instructed to place his hands on the vehicle.
The complaint alleges that Chargualaf pretended to comply, then “immediately turned around and fled” on foot. One officer pursued while the other stayed with Meno.
“Jordan escaped into a trail that led through the heavily vegetated area. Jordan was wearing a black shirt, black shorts, and was barefoot. The officer could not locate Jordan on foot and returned to the vehicle,” the complaint states.
Once the officer returned, Meno exited the vehicle and a “pat-down” search was conducted before he was placed in the patrol vehicle.
The complaint said a check of the firearm’s serial number confirmed that it was unregistered but could not determine whether it had been reported stolen.
“The officer identified the firearm to be a Marlin 55 12-gauge, bolt action shotgun, with a brown wood stock partially colored with black marker and a black strap attached. The officer also discovered a Winchester 12-gauge ammo and a black rusty magazine in the vehicle. No other firearm or contraband was discovered in an accessible location of the compartment or vehicle’s trunk,” the complaint said.
Meno was arrested, while an all-points bulletin has been issued for Chargualaf.
Meno appeared in court Thursday, where he was formally charged with possession/ownership of an unregistered firearm and possession of a firearm without a firearms identification, both third-degree felonies.
He was released on a $3,000 personal recognizance bond.
The complaint also lists the same charges against Chargualaf, with the additional charge of commission of a felony-on-felony release. However, he was not present in court.
According to the complaint, Chargualaf is on pretrial release in a felony theft of a motor vehicle case.
The Department of Corrections confirmed Thursday night that Chargualaf is not in DOC custody.
A response from GPD on the status of the APB for Chargualaf is pending.
