Three men face felony charges in separate cases after being indicted May 7 by a Hilo grand jury. ADVERTISING Three men face felony charges in separate cases after being indicted May 7 by a Hilo grand jury. In an 18-count
Three men face felony charges in separate cases after being indicted May 7 by a Hilo grand jury.
In an 18-count indictment, Keahi Calvin Sale, 25, of Hilo faces charges of kidnapping, three counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of felony domestic abuse, three counts of misdemeanor domestic abuse, second-degree terroristic threatening, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, auto theft, reckless driving, resisting an order to stop, driving without headlights, driving on wrong side of road and two counts of failure to stop at a red light.
The offenses stem from incidents on April 14 and 19 and involve a 27-year-old former girlfriend. Sale is accused of choking and assaulting the woman and taking her car in the earlier incident.
In the second incident, Sale is accused of kidnapping the woman in Hilo, sexually assaulting her and taking her to Spencer Beach Park in West Hawaii, where the victim called for help. Sale was restrained by beachgoers until police arrived and arrested him.
Sale was wanted at the time on three unrelated warrants and had been featured on the public-access television show “Hawaii Island’s Most Wanted.”
The most serious offense, kidnapping, is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.
A bench warrant set bail for Sale at $168,000. He is in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
A six-count indictment charges 45-year-old Steven H. Kaio of Pahoa with first-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree commercial promotion of marijuana, possessing drug paraphernalia and prohibited possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents, on April 27, 2013, 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 he was going to shoot them, documents state.
The incident is alleged to have taken place in the garage of the home on 35th Avenue in Orchidland Estates, where Kaio and the two relatives lived.
Documents state Kaio left and 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 the man he was “going start with you.” The other relative, 27-year-old Kalei Brooks, corroborated the 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 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 later served a search warrant on the property and reportedly found two marijuana patches with 247 plants from seedlings to 4-feet high, a deputy prosecutor said last year.
First-degree commercial promotion of marijuana is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, while being a felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
A bench warrant set Kaio’s bail at $70,000. He is in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
A two-count indictment charges 19-year-old Obed Kuahiwinui Jr. with second-degree robbery and accessory to fourth-degree theft.
According to police, Kuahiwinui and a 15-year-old girl were confronted by loss-prevention detectives outside a store in Prince Kuhio Plaza, identified in the indictment as Macy’s, after the girl was allegedly caught shoplifting on video surveillance. They reportedly left the store without paying for the item, which was valued at less than $100.
After store employees confronted the pair and attempted to take them back inside, Kuahiwinui allegedly threw one of the employees, identified in the indictment as William Guest, to the ground, causing minor injuries to his head and ribs.
The pair then fled the area on foot, police said. They later turned themselves in after an image from the surveillance video was released to the public.
Second-degree robbery is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
A bench warrant set Kuahiwinui’s bail at $5,250, and he is free on bond.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiiitribune-herald.com.
