Preliminary hearing set in assault case

One man is in custody and another is in the hospital following an assault Monday evening in Hilo.

At 6:59 p.m. Monday, officers responded to the 300 block of Kukuau Street where they found a 48-year-old Hilo man with serious injuries to his face and head.

At 7:12 p.m., officers found the suspect, a 21-year-old acquaintance of the victim, nearby. Chad Gahan Kalenakai Armitage Jr. was arrested and later charged with first-degree assault. His bail was set at $5,000.

Armitage also was processed on a $40,000 bench warrant for an unrelated Maui case.

The victim, identified in court documents filed by police as Matthew McPherson, was taken to Hilo Medical Center and later transferred to The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu where he remains in serious but stable condition.

A witness told police McPherson and Armitage were on a Kukuau Street porch when McPherson allegedly told Armitage, “It’s not cool you came into my room.”

McPherson and the witness told police Armitage struck McPherson several times in the face with closed fists.

Documents from Hilo Medical Center indicate McPherson suffered multiple facial fractures, including fractures to his left maxillary sinus, his left eye socket and the left side of his jawbone.

Armitage made his initial appearance Wednesday in Hilo District Court, where, according to records, Judge Harry Freitas denied a defense request for supervised release or a bail reduction and ordered Armitage to appear today at 2 p.m. for a preliminary hearing.

First-degree assault is a Class B felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Court documents state Armitage has no prior felony convictions.

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