A 44-year-old Keaau man was sentenced last week by Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a then-minor girl six years ago on the campus of the Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy in Hilo.
A jury found Paul Andrew Banasihan Jr. guilty last year of three counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of attempted second-degree sexual assault, and four counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.
Most of the offenses took place on April 17, 2018, although some occurred as early as Feb. 1, 2018, according to court records.
Banasihan also was sentenced to a five-year prison term for methamphetamine possession in an unrelated May 19, 2020, incident. The sentence will run concurrently with the 10-year sentence.
Banasihan will have to register as a sex offender.
“We commend the bravery and courage of the witnesses, the hard work and dedication of our police, prosecutors, investigators, victim witness unit and our support staff,” county Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen said in a statement.
The victim — a Youth Challenge cadet who at the time was 16 or 17 — reported that Banasihan removed her from the classroom and took her to his personal vehicle, which was on the Youth Challenge campus, and sexually assaulted her.
The Youth Challenge program is a program by the National Guard to support at-risk youth through a five-month military-style residential program. Cadets, who are male and female high school dropouts, study to complete high school equivalency certificates while undergoing physical training and performing community service.
Banasihan was a cadre of the quasi-military program for at-risk youth. In U.S. military terminology, a cadre is a group or member of a group of leaders, especially in units that conduct formal training schools. A National Guard spokesman said at the time of the offense that cadre staff are primarily retired military personnel and current members of the National Guard.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
