Police arrest suspect in double sex assault

A 36-year-old Keaau man is in police custody in connection with an alleged double sex assault Tuesday in Piihonua, above Hilo town.

Officers initially arrested Oran Charles Kita on a warrant for a 2011 case charging him with first-degree commercial promotion of marijuana.

Bail on that charge was set at $23,000, which comes from a Hilo grand jury indictment on Jan. 23, 2014, according to court records, which indicate Kita had not been previously arrested nor arraigned on the bench warrant accompanying the indictment.

According to police, officers saw marijuana in Kita’s truck while arresting Kita in Hilo. Kita was taken to the Hilo police cellblock while detectives investigated. While in custody, Kita was also arrested on suspicion of promoting a detrimental drug and on suspicion of first-degree sex assault for a 2011 case. Kita had been featured on “Hawaii Island’s Most Wanted” for the 2011 sex assault case.

At 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, detectives arrested Kita on suspicion of 42 additional offenses for the double sexual assault Tuesday of a woman and a juvenile girl. The offenses he faces possible charges for are 27 counts of first-degree sex assault, 11 counts of third-degree sex assault, two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening and two counts of kidnapping.

Kidnapping and first-degree sex assault are both Class A felonies punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment upon conviction.

According to police, the woman and girl were raped between 1 and 4 p.m. Tuesday by a pidgin-speaking stranger who accosted them near the Piihonua bridge and took them to a remote area, where the sex offenses allegedly took place.

Kita remained at the Hilo police cellblock Wednesday night as detectives continue to investigate.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.