Captain Cook Man Accused of Leaving Teen Restrained on Lanai Found Guilty as Charged

A Captain Cook man was found guilty as charged after leaving a 14-year-old child chained up on a lanai porch on and off between August 2020 and August 2021.

The verdict was announced in 3rd Circuit Court on Wednesday, May 18, two weeks after the bench trial for 47-year-old Alexander Aquino had concluded. He was found guilty as charged for first-degree unlawful imprisonment.

The court found Aquino not guilty of the misdemeanor offense of persistent nonsupport.

Prosecutors requested that Aquino’s release be revoked and that he be remanded into custody pending his sentencing hearing. The Court denied Prosecutors’ request, maintained Aquino’s existing bail status, and ordered that he appear for his sentencing hearing on July 22, 2022, at 10 a.m. in Kona Circuit Court.

On April 22, 2022, Aquino’s wife, 37-year-old Amy Aquino, who also faced the same charges as her husband, entered a no-contest plea to first-degree unlawful imprisonment. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 1, 2022.

Prosecutors are free to argue for the maximum penalty in accordance with the agreement which contemplates the dismissal of the misdemeanor offense following her sentencing.

The couple is facing a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Both Alexander and Amy Aquino, remain out of custody on $11,000 bail.