JR HATTIG ARRESTED FOR DRUGS, FIREARMS

From the Guam Daily Post

John Hattig Jr., who became the first Major League Baseball player from Guam, has been arrested and charged in a case that alleges he possessed illegal drugs and a gun without a valid permit.

At 2:10 a.m. Thursday, the Guam Police Department received a call about a man who had what looked like a firearm walking around Mai’Ana Airport Plaza in Tamuning. 

Tumon-Tamuning Precinct Command officers responded and found a man fitting the description.

The individual was later identified as Hattig, 41. He is listed as a police officer trainee in 2017 government staffing records and is currently a motor safety inspector in a federally funded position at the Department of Revenue and Taxation.

In Thursday’s incident, Hattig was seen walking from an Infiniti sedan into the Mai’Ana Airport Plaza complex while carrying what appeared to be a firearm, the prosecution stated in the magistrate’s complaint.

Officers responding to the call asked Hattig if they could check his bag. He told police there was a gun in the shoulder bag and that he had taken the gun from his friend who had argued with his girlfriend, the prosecution stated in court documents.

The court documents state after Hattig gave consent for police to look in his bag, police found:

• One .45-caliber pistol, with an extended magazine, loaded with 17 rounds;

• Three plastic baggies containing a white crystalline substance;

• Two plastic baggies containing white residue;

• Three yellow pills and one white pill, later identified as Xanax;

• One digital scale; and

• $80 cash.

The substances were tested and yielded a presumptive positive result for the presence of methamphetamine, court documents state. 

Hattig further told police his Guam firearms ID card was expired.

GPD acting spokesman Sgt. Mike Aguon said Hattig had been detained.

Released under house arrest

The Guam Daily Post later confirmed Hattig was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond and placed under house arrest.

Aside from his court hearings, he is allowed to leave his residence only to attend religious services, for emergency medical treatment and for employment. He is scheduled back in court on July 30.

Superior Court of Guam documents state Hattig has been charged with:

• Two counts of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance as a third-degree felony;

• Possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card as a third-degree felony; and

• Possession of a concealed firearm as a third-degree felony.

From Red Sox to Blue Jays

According to the Major League Baseball website, Hattig was hired by the Blue Jays on July 24, 2004, in a trade from the Boston Red Sox.

Hattig became “the first native of Guam ever to play in the majors” as a 26-year-old switch-hitter, according to NBC Sports.

He was named to Guam’s All-Island team in 1994 and 1996. He was the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1996, played in Guam Major League in 1998, and was selected as the Guam league’s MVP and Rookie of the Year.