Kea‘au woman charged after allegedly striking her 2 children in heads with slipper, placing one in headlock

A Big Island woman faces several charges following incident where she allegedly struck her two children in the heads with a slipper and putting one of them in a headlock.

Holly Kaleki White, 41, of Kea‘au was charged with:

• Abuse of a family household member.
• Abuse of a family household member (strangulation).
• Two counts of abuse of a family household member (in the presence of a minor).

Her bail was set at $65,000.

White’s initial court appearance was Feb. 14 in Hilo District Court, where her bail was maintained. She remains incarcerated at the Hawai’i Community Correctional Center in Hilo, pending a preliminary hearing.

At 10:36 a.m. Feb. 12, Hilo patrol officers responded to a welfare check call from a witness who reported observing a woman striking two young boys and placing one of the boys in a headlock while near Mill Road in Pāpa‘ikou. The witness intervened by placing himself between the woman and the two children until police arrived.

The boys, ages 11 and 9 years old, were placed in protective custody for their safety and White, who was determined to be their mother, was arrested.

White allegedly struck both boys in the head with open-handed slaps and struck their heads with a slipper. The older brother was placed in a headlock around his face, causing visible injury.

The boys did not require medical attention. Child Welfare Services later placed them back with their legal guardian.

Anyone who might have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Detective Kelsey Kobayashi of the Hawai‘i Police Department Area I Juvenile Aid Section at 808-961-8883 or via email at kelsey.kobayashi@hawaiicounty.gov.