4 Kona men charged with child sex solicitation in Operation Keiki Shield

Four men from Kona were charged with child sex solicitation as part of a multi-agency undercover statewide operation called Operation Keiki Shield, which was designed to identify and arrest individuals using the internet to facilitate sexual crimes against children.

The sting operation took place in Kona via the internet with investigators posing as underage teens. During the operation, which ran from March 31 to April 2, the following men were arrested and charged:

• Micaiah Hoomaikai Smith, 31, was charged with first-degree electronic enticement of a child and attempted promoting pornography for minors. His bail was set at $15,000 and he was released after posting bail.   
   
• Joseph Michael Marshall, 42, was charged with first-degree electronic enticement of a child. His bail was set at $10,000 and he was given supervised release.
   
• Vincent Antonio, 36, was charged with first-degree electronic enticement of a child. His bail was set at $10,000 and he was given supervised release.
   
• Ryen Knapp, 40, was charged with first-degree electronic enticement of a child, endangering the welfare of minor. His bail was set at $50,000 and he was released after posting bail.

In lieu of a preliminary hearing, Grand Jury indictments were subsequently issued for all four men on April 5 and further proceedings will be heard in Circuit Court.  

For the operation, the Hawaiʻi Police Department partnered with the Hawaiʻi County Prosecutor’s Office and the Hawai’i Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which consists of personnel and law enforcement officers from the Honolulu Police Department, Maui Police Department, Department of Attorney General, Homeland Security Investigations and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.