Trial has been set for a 31-year-old Pahoa man who allegedly tied up, slashed, stabbed and used nunchucks to severely beat an acquaintance earlier this month at the victim’s Hawaiian Paradise Park home.
Acting Hilo Circuit Judge set trial for Ocean K. Hegent at 9 a.m. Oct. 2. Hegent pleaded not guilty on May 11 to charges of kidnapping and first- and second-degree assault.
Hegent was indicted by a grand jury on May 10, the day he was to appear for a preliminary hearing. The indictment, however, moved the case from Hilo District Court to Hilo Circuit Court, rendering the preliminary hearing unnecessary.
A bench warrant issued with the indictment raised Hegent’s bail from its original $85,000 to $125,000.
Ivan Van Leer, Hegent’s court-appointed attorney, requested that Hegent be freed on supervised release, a form of cashless bail, or that his bail be reduced.
Deputy Prosecutor Jefferson Malate objected to Van Leer’s motion, and Hawk maintained Hegent’s bail at $125,000.
According to court documents filed by police, the beating — which resulted in the victim, a 43-year-old man, suffering a broken nose, a sinus fracture, a fractured eye socket, tendon lacerations and other lacerations — was the product of a “heated verbal dispute turned physical.”
According to the victim and another witness, Hegent bound the man’s arms with rope to a 5-gallon propane tank.
Hegent then allegedly punched and kicked the victim, hit the man in the face with nunchucks, threw a chair that hit the victim in the back, and stabbed and slashed the man on the left shin and left ankle. Hegent also allegedly caused a severe tendon laceration to the man’s inner left wrist.
The victim was hospitalized at Hilo Medical Center as a result of the assault, according to police.
Police obtained a search warrant for the victim’s 18th Avenue property. According to documents, they recovered a 5-gallon propane tank with yellow nylon rope tied to it, three sets of nunchucks, three knives and a box cutter.
Blood and blood spatter also were found in the area where witnesses said the victim was bound.
The most serious offense, kidnapping, is a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment. First- and second-degree assault are Class B and C felonies, respectively, which carry potential prison terms of 10 and five years.
Hegent was convicted in 2010 of second-degree robbery, a Class B felony, and was sentenced to five years of probation with 18 months of incarceration, according to court records.
Hegent remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
