A 46-year-old Pahoa man will be returned to California to face a charge of molesting a girl.
A 46-year-old Pahoa man will be returned to California to face a charge of molesting a girl.
Garner Felix Deconte was arrested June 5 in Hilo on an extradition warrant from Sonoma County.
At a Monday hearing, Deconte told Hilo Circuit Judge Glenn Hara “I’m the same person,” when asked if he’s the individual being sought on a California felony charge.
“The allegations are lewd and lascivious acts on a minor child,” Deputy Prosecutor Rick Damerville said in response to a question by the judge.
According to court documents, the victim was born in November 1996 and the incidents occurred “on or about the 3rd day of November, 2007 through the 2nd day of November, 2009.”
Deconte, who lived in Santa Rosa before returning to Hawaii, told local police he knew about an incident in California, but said he “thought the incident had been dropped,” a document states.
The offense carries a possible eight-year prison term upon conviction.
Deconte waived his right to an extradition hearing when he was told California authorities would be notified and would likely come to get him within 30 days.
“If I wait 30 days and the state of California don’t pick me up, what’s gonna happen?” Deconte inquired.
“You will come back to court and we’ll review it then,” Hara responded.
Deputy Public Defender Belinda Castillo Hall, who represented Deconte at the hearing, asked the judge to set bail at “no more than $5,000.”
“He’s been here in Hawaii for about three years,” Castillo Hall said. “He is a validly licensed driver in the state of Hawaii and that’s how they found him.”
Castillo Hall said Deconte had been working at a natural foods store in Hilo for about two months and had worked at another natural foods store on Oahu before coming to the Big Island.
Deconte told the judge he attended Kalani High School in Honolulu and Pahoa High School and has a Bachelor of Science degree in tropical horticulture from University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Damerville requested the judge order Deconte detained without bail.
“Bail was set in the state of California at $100,000,” he said.
Hara set bail at $250,000, “based on the nature of the offense,” and ordered Deconte to return to court at 1 p.m. July 3 if California authorities haven’t taken him into custody.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.