A Hilo grand jury on March 27 indicted a 41-year-old Puna man accused of cracking his 21-year-old son’s skull with a blowtorch gas canister.
The panel added several charges to those already faced by Stanton Anson Joaquin for the March 20 domestic incident.
Joaquin now faces charges of first- and second-degree assault, domestic abuse, domestic abuse in the presence of a minor and two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening.
Joaquin was free on $22,000 bail, but the additional charges resulted in bail being increased to $130,000, which Joaquin posted on Monday.
Currently free, Joaquin is scheduled for arraignment and plea Friday afternoon before Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto.
According to police, Puna patrol officers responded shortly before 1 a.m. on March 20 to a Kaniela Road home on the report of a domestic dispute.
Upon arrival, officers determined that during an argument, Joaquin allegedly punched his wife twice in the face with a closed fist and threatened to burn the house down while lighting a propane blowtorch. The incident was witnessed by two of the couple’s children, ages 10 and 15, police said.
Joaquin then reportedly struck his 21-year-old son on the head with the blowtorch, causing a skull fracture, inter-cranial hemorrhaging and partial paralysis to the left side of his body.
The son was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu due to the seriousness of his injuries.
The most serious offense, first-degree assault, is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. Domestic abuse in the presence of a minor and first-degree terroristic threatening are Class C felonies that carry a potential five-year prison term.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
