Knife-wielding California man charged with burglary, abuse of Hilo woman

Hawai‘i Island police have arrested and charged 43-year-old Jerry Rosales, of Carson, California, with first-degree burglary and domestic related offenses following an incident in Hilo on Tuesday morning.

At 5:28 a.m. on Feb. 20, Hilo patrol officers responded to a domestic incident call from a witness who heard an argument within a residence on Kilauea Avenue in Hilo. The witness entered the residence and observed Rosales push the victim onto the bed, get on top of her, and threaten her with a knife.

Rosales fled the residence and was located by officers in the garage of a neighboring house. Officers located the knife on Rosales, and determined he is the victim’s ex-boyfriend who was in town for a family event.

In the course of their investigation, detectives from the Area I Juvenile Aid Section determined that Rosales entered the victim’s house through a bedroom window, struck her on her leg with a closed fist punch, and covered her mouth and nose with his hand restricting her ability to breath. Rosales also damaged the victim’s cell phone when she attempted to make a call for help. 

On Feb. 21, after conferring with the County Prosecutor’s Office, detectives from the Area I Juvenile Aid Section charged Rosales with the following offenses:

• First-degree burglary
• First-degree terroristic threatening
• Abuse of a family household member (strangulation)
• Abuse of a family household member
• Third-degree criminal property damage

His bail was set at $123,000.

Rosales’ initial court appearance took place on the afternoon of Feb. 22 in Hilo District Court.  

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact Det. Patrick Aurello of the Area I Juvenile Aid Section, at 808-961-8810, or via email at [email protected].