Guam village mayor arrested for indecent exposure

HAGATNA, Guam — The mayor of the Guam village of Mangilao was arrested Tuesday for allegedly exposing himself to a community service worker at his office last week, police said.

Mayor Nito Castro Blas, 78, was arrested on suspicion of harassment, official misconduct and indecent exposure, said Officer A.J. Balajadia, a Guam Police Department spokesman.

Blas was booked and released. Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of Guam.

The longtime mayor said Tuesday, he received a massage on his upper right thigh for an old injury on Friday. Although he took his pants off, his underwear stayed on and "nothing happened" during the encounter at his office, he said.

Blas said he asked the community service worker if she was "good at massage," as the leg was hurting. "I was told that she's good in massage," he said. "People around, they said, 'Chuukese are very good in massage.' "

The woman said yes, and "offered" to do the task, he said.

"I offered $10 for 15 minutes," he said. "At that time, I only had $4 in cash. She said, 'don't worry, pay me later.' "

He removed his pants and stripped to his underwear, Blas said. "She didn't even touch (beyond his leg), and I didn't offer," he said. "I didn't ask for anything else than massage."

Blas said he received the massage while seated in his office chair. Although no one was in his office, the door was open and his staff was in the adjacent room, he said. "I didn't hide anything," he said.

The woman was assigned to perform community service by a court order, Blas said. She was to perform a total of 40 hours, he said.

When arrested, the mayor thought that the woman had set him up.

"I think she planned it," he said. "I'm not sure, I don't know what, but she accepted (the massage request)," he said. "Maybe she want(ed) to get me in trouble.

"I didn't offer her sex or anything else," he said upon his release at the Hagatna precinct.

Blas said he received the old injury when he saved a student from an oncoming car while directing traffic at Price Elementary School. It occurred several years ago, and he declined medical attention at the time, he said.

"It didn't hurt me at the time, (but) ever since, and later on, it's creating problems."

It left him with a "lump" on his inner upper thigh, he said.

"I'm still hurting. That's why I made an appointment to see the doctor to see if she can give me a stronger (medication)."

Blas said he will pay the remaining $6 if he sees the woman again. She appeared to be in her 30s, he said.

The mayor said he learned his lesson.

"When I think about it now, it's never gonna happen again. It's not appropriate and, my mistake," he said. "So, I learned my lesson."