About 5,800 miles west of San Francisco, Calif., in the North Pacific Ocean sits the island of Guam, an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States known for its white sand beaches and crystal clear ocean waters. It is the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and is known as the Land of the Chamorro. One of its residents is NCRA member Veronica Flores, RMR, from Barrigada. A freelance court reporter for 10 years and an official court reporter for 14 years, she currently works for the District of Guam.
As an official, she says, she covers cases that are mostly criminal, but also can range from conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine to some child pornography and some fraud. “I love learning new things about different cases through expert testimony or criminal minds and their thought processes in committing the crimes and from experts in the field and how they investigate cases,” she said.
One of Flores’ most exciting cases was a criminal trial involving a big drug ring. It involved a kidnapping and the torturing of a man who was a hired contractor working on the defendant’s house at the time. They thought he had stolen their drugs. “Luckily, the guy was able to escape, but seeing him testify at trial, you can only imagine the trauma and fear he felt and how courageous he was to testify against them,” she said.
“People smuggling drugs in their body cavities for these people, melting the meth into liquid form to put in snow globes — I find this stuff amazing and interesting,” she added.
Flores said she never intended to become a court reporter despite the fact that her mother is a retired official court reporter who worked in the local superior court and she was familiar with the career. “Although in school I would get awards for being the fastest and most accurate, in college I couldn’t decide what to major in. I realized there was a demand for court reporters at home, so I enrolled in court reporting school, and the rest is history,” she explained.
Flores said she has faith in NCRA and the Association’s hard work and efforts and just hopes for more creativity in finding incentives to get people to enroll in court reporting programs, especially to fill shortages in the courts. “We are needed, and we play an important part in making a good record,” she noted.
As for fellow court reporters interested in working internationally, Flores advises to go for it. “You get to see and learn new cultures and have great experiences. I miss that part about freelancing. They would send me to the Philippines, Japan, and the out islands of Guam.”
Veronica Flores, RMR, is an official reporter for the District of Guam. She lives in Barrigada, Guam, and can be reached at vfloguam@gmail.com.
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