Hilo man found sleeping in idling vehicle charged with assaulting police officers

A Hilo District Court judge reduced bail for a Hilo man, accused of assaulting two Hawai‘i Island police officers after they found him asleep behind the wheel of an idling vehicle.

Sixty-four-year-old Jean-Marc Offergeld made an initial appearance in Hilo District Court this afternoon. His bail was reduced from $48,000 to $28,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

Police encountered Offergeld on Thursday after finding him asleep within in the driver’s seat of vehicle parked, engine idling, in the drive-thru area of the Kino‘ole Senior Residences apartment complex.

During the encounter, Hawai‘i police officials say Offergeld assaulted the officers. The 64-year-old’s dog also allegedly bit one of the officers during the incident. A pysodelic drug, psilocyn, was also found within the vehicle.

Offergeld is charged with 10 offenses:

• There counts of first-degree assault against a law enforcement officer
• Second-degree assault against a law enforcement officer
• Resisting arrest
• Operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant
• Open container containing intoxicating liquor
• Negligent failure to control a dangerous dog
• Second-degree promotion of a detrimental drug
• Third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug

The first-degree assault charges against a law enforcement officer and the dangerous drug promotion charges are class C felonies punishable by either a five-year prison term or four years probation and up to 12 months in jail.