By JOHN BURNETT
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
A 54-year-old Mountain View man was taken into police custody Tuesday morning after allegedly attacking his son with a machete and threatening responding police officers with what appeared to be a rifle.
Jonathan Rodrigues Sr. was arrested at 7:20 a.m. at a Keola Place home on suspicion of second-degree assault and first-degree terroristic threatening. He had not been charged as of press time and was being held at the Hilo police cellblock while detectives investigated.
The incident began at about 8:30 p.m. Monday when police received a report of an affray between a father and his adult son. When officers arrived, Rodrigues’ 24-year-old son, Jonathan Rodrigues Jr., reportedly ran into the forest. After emerging at around 11 p.m., he was taken to Hilo Medical Center where he was treated for what police called “substantial bodily injuries” and later released. After his release from the hospital, police arrested him on two unrelated bench warrants for contempt of court.
Then, at 7:09 a.m. Tuesday, while police were reportedly securing the scene, the elder Rodrigues emerged from the house and pointed what appeared to be a rifle at officers, police said. He was arrested shortly afterwards.
“We did conduct a search warrant of the premises there and we did locate what we believe to be the instrument that was used to cut Rodrigues Jr. and we also recovered the weapon that was used to threaten the officers,” said Capt. Robert Wagner of the Criminal Investigation Division. Police said later than an air rifle was recovered at the home.
The younger Rodrigues appeared Tuesday afternoon in Hilo District Court to face the contempt charges with his head, neck, left upper arm and right wrist swathed in bandages. Judge Harry Freitas continued his case and released him on his own recognizance.
Rodrigues Jr. confirmed afterwards that his injuries were caused by a machete. Asked what happened, he replied: “I totally forget. I don’t know. I was all drunk.”
A woman, who identified herself as the daughter of Rodrigues Sr. and sister of Rodrigues Jr., was in the courtroom gallery on Tuesday afternoon and left the building with Rodrigues Jr. She said that she was injured by the machete while trying to intervene in the dispute and required stitches to her wrist. The woman, who didn’t give her name, was wearing a bandage and brace on the injured wrist.
Email John Burnett at
jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.