Stephen Cahill has worked at Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense for the past three years and today he is filling in as the acting public information officer for the agency - tasked with keeping the island protected. 

"We’re a little bit short staffed so we’re just trying to help each other out and I was able to step in," he told KUAM News. 

Cahill this week has issued press releases for Guam Homeland including informing the public that there is no threat to the Marianas from the latest missile launch out of North Korea. 

His temporary position however is now causing his case in the Superior Court of Guam to resurface. 

Cahill was a teacher with the Guam Department of Education in 2015 when he was accused of sleeping with a former student. The student was 17 years old.

Prosecutors in the case alleged he recorded himself with the teen having sex before the video was circulated on WhatsApp messenger. 

But the more serious charges were tossed. In 2018, Cahill pleaded guilty to official misconduct as a misdemeanor. 

At the time, prosecutors told the court they would have been able to prove that Cahill knowingly had sexual relations with a minor had the case gone to trial.

Fast forward to today, Cahill briefly spoke with KUAM News at the Guam Homeland office in Agana Heights saying he's since moved on.

"I have no comment," he said. "At the time, you know, I’ve done what I needed to do to move forward and we’re all about moving forward and doing the right thing."

Even if he has been "doing the right thing," the law to hire government workers with a criminal past needs to be tightened, according to Sen. Joanne Brown.

It's an effort she first brought up during her previous term.

"Last year, the bill did have a public hearing but it was never reported out of the committee, I believe it was a couple votes short of senators in that committee that did not report on that bill to come out and there was no action taken in the last legislature," she said. 

She reintroduced a similar measure - Bill 30 - in the 37th Guam legislature in February and is still waiting for her colleagues to have a public hearing, with hopes that it will pass this time. 

"It’s really unfortunate because of all the bills we passed in the legislature, I think this particular bill, as simple as it is, it’s not a very complicated bill," she said. "I think it sends out a very important message and I think it’s important for all of us, no matter what capacity we work in the Government of Guam, we’re all government officials and if we had taken an action, an active position to do something so wrong or so irresponsible, and get convicted of misconduct, I don’t think those officials should ever be hired in a capacity in the Government of Guam to serve the people ever again.

It’s not saying that people could never be employed again but they can’t be employed in a public capacity serving the people, especially when they had that opportunity and they misused and abused it."

Cahill will remain acting PIO until July 24.