Hearing in standoff case continued because of no translator

KEALAKEKUA — The court case for Macdon Thromman, the man accused of engaging in a 20-hour standoff with police, was delayed again Tuesday because of a lack of translator.

Thromman is a native of the Marshall Islands, and his public defender, Ann Datta, requested a translator.

The state did not object and the district court granted the motion.

But the scarcity of registered translators has lead to multiple delays, as various people have been found not qualified to translate.

Kauanoe Jackson, the prosecutor assigned to the case, said the issue is making sure the translators available are capable of relaying the information presented.

Tuesday’s hearing was the second extension of the mental competency hearing for Thromman. The hearing includes written testimony from three doctors about whether Thromman is in a mental state to understand what is happening in court.

Datta requested the hearing July 21, saying her interactions with Thromman raised the question of his fitness.

The state lists five Marshallese interpreters who passed the first level of the official translator examinations, three on the Big Island.

To earn a level 1 certification, the person has to pass a criminal background check, pass a written English proficiency exam with 70 percent accuracy, the Hawaii basic ethics exam with 80 percent and attend a two-day basic orientation workshop.

Thromman, 37, of Kapaau faces 22 charges, including attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder and kidnapping, for the July 13 standoff at his home with the police Special Response Team, the police department’s SWAT unit.

Court documents state Thromman shot his girlfriend in the leg with a .30-30 hunting rifle, and then shot a responding officer in the right arm. The attempted first-degree murder charge is because there were multiple victims.

Email Graham Milldrum at gmilldrum@westhawaiitoday.com.