Two East Hawaii men were recently arrested in different, unrelated cases charging them with sex assault.
A Hilo grand jury on April 15 returned a six-count indictment on 46-year-old Justin Makoto Pittullo of Hilo, charging him with with kidnapping, continuous sex assault of a minor under 14 and four counts of forcible third-degree sex assault.
According to the indictment, the victims were two minor girls, ages 8 and 6 — identified in the document by only their initials — and that Pittullo either resided in the same home with the older victim or had recurring access to her.
All of the offenses against the older child are alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2015.
The single count of third-degree sex assault against the younger victim allegedly occurred on April 8, 2025.
Pittullo appeared in Hilo Circuit Court on Friday.
Deputy Public Defender Kenji Akamu made a special appearance and said the Office of Public Defender has an ongoing conflict and asked to withdraw from the case. Pittullo asked to be sworn in as his own attorney with standby counsel, a motion denied by Judge Henry Nakamoto.
Akamu requested that Pittullo either be freed on supervised release — a form of cashless bail — or that his $430,000 bail be reduced.
Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Malate objected to any release of Pittullo or reduction in his bail.
Nakamoto maintained Pittullo’s bail, based on the allegations in the indictment and the serious nature of the charges.
The judge didn’t arraign Pittullo or accept a plea because he doesn’t yet have legal counsel. He set a status hearing for 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Kidnapping and continuous sexual assault of a minor are both Class A felonies that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, while third-degree sex assault is a Class C felony with a potential five-year prison term, upon conviction.
Prosecutors allege in the indictment, however, that Pittullo is subject to extended terms of imprisonment for the protection of the public and because if sentenced consecutively for all the offenses alleged would exceed 40 years.
Judges rarely grant extended sentences, but if Pittullo were to be convicted of the Class A felonies and an extended sentence was imposed, it could mean life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.
In the second case, 18-year-old Keoni Kaua Jarra of Kurtistown was re-arrested on April 25 as an adult on sex assault charges he was originally indicted on as a minor in February.
The indictment charges Jarra with three counts of first-degree sex assault and a single count of third-degree sex assault.
All of the offenses are alleged to have occurred on Nov. 27, 2024. Jarra was, at that time, 17, and the victim, identified by initials, was 13. The victim has since turned 14, according to the document. The indictment doesn’t specify the gender of the victim.
Jarra pleaded not guilty to the charges — three Class A felonies and a Class C felony — on Feb. 26.
His original bail amount was $255,000, but court records indicate he was granted supervised release on April 17 by Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota.
Jarra is scheduled to appear before Kubota for “further proceedings” at 9 a.m. May 12.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
