Puna man gets 10 years for sex assault case involving minor at Hawai‘i Youth Challenge Academy

A 44-year-old Puna man has been sentenced to a 10-year prison term in relation to sexual assault offenses involving a minor.

The offenses occurred in April 2018 at the Hawai‘i Youth Challenge Academy, where Paul Banashihan Jr. was employed as a cadre, according to the county of Hawai‘i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.

Banashihan was also sentenced to a five-year prison term for promoting a dangerous drug in the third degree (possessing any amount of methamphetamine) offense in relation
to an unrelated 2020 incident.

A Hilo jury in June 2023 found Banashihan guilty of nine offenses including three counts of
sexual assault in the second degree, two counts of attempted sexual assault in the second degree and four counts of sexual assault in the fourth degree.

Sexual assault in the second degree and attempted sexual assault in the second degree are
both class B felony offenses and carry a penalty of either a 10-year prison term or five years
probation and up to 18 months in jail. Sexual assault in the fourth degree is a misdemeanor
and carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail. Promoting a dangerous drug in the third degree is a class C felony offense and carries a maximum penalty of a five-year prison term.

The investigation was led by Lt. Fetuutuunai Amituanai of the South Hilo Patrol, formerly
a detective with the Area I Juvenile Aid Section of the Hawai‘i Police Department. The case was
prosecuted by deputy prosecuting attorneys Ha‘aheo Kaho‘ohalahala and Kirsten Selvig.