A Kona man found guilty in September on charges of continuous sexual of a minor was sentenced on Friday in Kona Circuit Court to serve up to a 20-year prison term.
Forty-five-year-old Joshua Masuda-Mercado was found guilty by a Kona jury for charges of Continuous Sexual Assault of a Minor Under the Age of Fourteen Years and Attempted Sexual Assault in the First Degree. Masuda-Mercado was sentenced to 20-year prison terms for each offense. The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently. The case stemmed from a string of incidents that occurred between November 2014 and August 2018 and a separate incident on July 2, 2019.
Both Continuous Sexual Assault of a Minor and Attempted Sexual Assault in the First Degree are class A felony offenses which carry a maximum penalty of a 20-year prison term and also requires registering as a sex offender.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
“Protecting our keiki is a top priority within our Office,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen. “Sex assault against a minor is an egregious crime that will not be tolerated. We will continue to work tirelessly to seek justice for victims of sexual abuse and to hold offenders accountable.”
Masuda-Mercado was originally charged via grand jury indictment in August of 2020. The Indictment warrant remained outstanding and was unserved for ten months. In June of 2021, Masuda-Mercado was located in Tennessee and Hawai‘i County Prosecutor’s Investigators coordinated his extradition back to Hawai‘i to face the felony charges.
This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. Although Big Island Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Please view at your own discretion. View Comments
