Feliciano’s Bail Reduced from $558,000 to $25,000

A District Court judge today drastically reduced the bail of a Puna man who last week allegedly threw a machete at a police officer.

Joseph Feliciano, 58, was being held on $558,000 bail after being charged with seven offenses, including first-degree attempted murder of a police officer.  That charge, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole, can also apply to judges or prosecutors acting in the line of duty, .

Feliciano was also charged Friday night with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree attempted assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. He was also charged with two other offenses, assault and abuse of a family or household member, in connection with a domestic incident that occurred on Wednesday.

Because probable cause affidavits were filed with the court for only two of the charges, the domestic abuse offense and one of the counts of attempted assault of a police officer, Judge Harry Freitas said he could only hold Feliciano on those two.

As a result, Freitas set Feliciano’s bail at $25,000.

A preliminary hearing on all seven counts was scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday.

The charges stem from an incident involving two police officers arriving at a home in Orchidland Estates Thursday afternoon in response to a report of a disturbance.

Officers encountered Feliciano wielding two machetes, one of which he allegedly threw at a police officer. The officer, identified as Puna patrol officer Brian Markham, managed to dodge the weapon.

Police were already looking for Feliciano in connection with Wednesday’s incident in which Feliciano allegedly punched his girlfriend, Barbara Mateo, in the mouth, knocking out some of her teeth.

Deputy Prosecutor Rick Damerville today told Freitas that Feliciano has a history of assault.

Damerville said according to Feliciano’s son, during the confrontation with police Feliciano may have been “attempting suicide by cop” or, in other words, attempting to provoke police into shooting him.

“That’s what the son alleges,” Damerville said after today’s hearing.

As of late this afternoon, Feliciano had not posted bail and was still in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.