Man Charged With Kidnapping Following Abduction of Teen from Waikōloa

A man accused of abducting a 15-year-old girl from the Waikōloa area on Friday was officially charged with kidnapping, robbery, terroristic threatening, sexual assault and methamphetamine trafficking, according to Hawai‘i County prosecuting attorney Kelden Waltjen. 

The formal complaint against 52-year-old Duncan Kealoha Mahi will be filed in District Court on Tuesday morning. 

He is slated to appear in court Tuesday for his initial appearance. He remains in custody in lieu of $2 million bail.

Mahi was arrested Saturday in Hilo after he reportedly kidnapped a Kealakehe High School student at knifepoint from the Anaho‘omale Bay area the day before.

Two Amber Alerts were issued following her abduction.

Nearly 24 hours later, the suspect was seen with the teen at Café Pesto, where a restaurant employee recognized the teen and rescued her. Mahi was able to escape but was arrested hours later.

Mahi already was on probation after pleading no contest to two separate cases of first-degree terroristic threatening in 2019. Waltjen said a warrant for his arrest was issued in March with bench warrants each for $2,000. He was granted supervised release over prosecutors’ objections.

On Sept. 13, Waltjen said, prosecutors filed another motion requesting to revoke his supervised release in both cases.