By JOHN BURNETT
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
A 44-year-old Pahoa man faces marijuana growing, terroristic threatening and firearms charges.
According to court documents, Steven H. Kaio threatened two men, both relatives, and a 17-year-old boy, telling them “All of you f——s are going to die.” He pointed at all of them, saying that he was going to shoot them, documents state. The incident is alleged to have taken place at about 8 p.m. Saturday night in the garage of the home on 35th Avenue in Orchidland Estates where Kaio and the two relatives live.
The documents state that Kaio got up, left, then returned with a black 1911 semi-automatic pistol in his left hand and went up to one of his relatives, 26-year-old Ammon Stanley, “grabbed the back of his head pulling it back and then placed the gun to his forehead” and told Stanley that he was “going start with you.” The other relative, 27-year-old Kalei Brooks, corroborated Stanley’s account of the incident, documents state.
Both men told police they left the house immediately to report the incident and told police they feared for their lives because Kaio had committed a violent act with a gun in the recent past.
The teen said he left the house to report the incident before Kaio allegedly returned with the handgun.
Police charged Kaio with three counts of terroristic threatening and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Police also served a search warrant on the property on Monday and reportedly found two marijuana patches. The first patch, which was on the property, had 247 plants about 4-feet in height, said Deputy Prosecutor Greg Gimenez.
“He said they were his,” Gimenez said during a break in court proceedings on Tuesday afternoon.
Kaio was charged with two counts each of first-degree commercial promotion of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The second patch had 19 plants and was located on a neighboring property, Gimenez said. He said there was a path between Kaio’s property and the patch and that Kaio had admitted the patch was his.
Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas ordered Kaio to return for a preliminary hearing on Thursday at 2 p.m. Kaio is in custody in Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $200,000 bail.
According to court records, Kaio has a history of felony convictions, including assault, burglary and firearms violations, dating back to 1991. Most recently, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for first-degree assault and three firearms charges on Oct. 14, 2008.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.