Lee Charged in Connection with Running Girlfriend Over

A Hilo man accused of running over his girlfriend with a car is being held on bail totaling $44,000 pending a preliminary hearing.

Justin Keola Lee, 35, was charged Wednesday with second-degree reckless endangering and two counts of second-degree assault in connection with the incident that occurred Monday. Bail on those offenses was set at $22,000.

According to court documents, Lee and his 41-year-old girlfriend, Mary Raquedam, had been involved in an argument at Raquedam’s house on Haili Street when Lee got into his car and began backing out of the driveway.

Raquedam told police that she ran ahead of the car to shut a gate to prevent him from leaving and was struck by the vehicle in the buttocks and lower back, causing her to fall under the car.

Raquedam sustained a burn on her back and abrasions to her arms and knees. She was taken to Hilo Medical Center where a physician determined that she had suffered a fractured vertebrae in her neck with the potential for associated paralysis, the documents said. She was then transported to a hospital on Oahu for additional treatment.

An arrest warrant was issued for Lee, who turned himself in at the Hilo police station Tuesday night.

Lee was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangering, but was charged the following day on the lesser offenses.

Following his surrender Tuesday, Lee was also arrested and charged on outstanding warrants for bail-jumping, violating terms of release and three counts of contempt of court. Bail for those charges was set at $22,000.