Keaau man charged with sex assault

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A 20-year-old Keaau man is accused of forcible sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

A 20-year-old Keaau man is accused of forcible sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.

A Hilo grand jury returned a six-count indictment Wednesday against Race S. Wroblewski-Rushlow, charging him with kidnapping, three counts of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree sexual assault.

According to court documents filed by police, the alleged victim told police Wroblewski-Rushlow took her into a bedroom in his home at about 11 p.m. on May 14, reached into her shorts to grab her buttocks and crotch, then reached up her shirt to touch her breast. The girl reported Wroblewski-Rushlow then held her mouth and wrists with his hands and forced her to perform multiple sex acts. She allegedly cried and told Wrobewski-Rushlow to stop, but he refused. The alleged assault continued into the morning of May 15, according to the indictment.

Wroblewski-Rushlow was arrested on Nov. 1 and later charged. He made his initial appearance Nov. 4 in Hilo District Court, according to court records. He is scheduled to return for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 1, but because of the indictment, the case will be moved to Hilo Circuit Court for an arraignment and plea hearing.

A check of court records turned up no prior criminal convictions against Wroblewski-Rushlow, who remains in custody in Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $39,000 bail.

Kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault are Class A felonies punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Third-degree sexual assault is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Ivan Van Leer, Rushlow’s court-appointed attorney, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment by press time Friday.

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