Man who threatened to burn house down in Puna was out on supervised release for 2 assault cases in 2024

On Dec. 19, George Dale Foote Jr. of Pāhoa was out of jail on supervised release for assault cases when he allegedly broke into a home in Puna with two women inside and threatened to burn it down.

A Hilo District Court judge on Monday maintained the bail set at $220,000 for Foote for the Dec. 19 incident, in which he now faces more charges of first-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree burglary and unauthorized entry into a dwelling.

Additionally, Foote, 40, was arrested and charged on the strength of two arrest warrants for the offense of violations of conditions of release on bail, recognizance, or supervised release, with a total bail of $45,000. 

An oral motion was made by the defense requesting that the case be continued until Foote undergoes a mental health evaluation to determine fitness and penal responsibility, which Judge Jeffrey Hawk granted. Foote is slated to appear again in court on March 10.

Foote already was facing felony charges in two separate assault cases that occurred in 2024, one involving a 15-year-old boy in July. Foote reportedly doused the teen with gasoline after the boy had gone to his home to visit his mother, who was with Foote’s live-in girlfriend at the time.

The second assault occurred in September, involving a 69-year-old man whom Foote struck with a machete on his left arm, according to court documents. The victim was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for treatment.

Warrants were issued in both these cases after Foote failed to appear for hearings, according to court minutes.

In his latest case, according to a probable cause statement filed in District Court, Foote entered the residence on ‘Aʻama Street in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision in Puna, looking for his estranged ex-wife. Inside the home were a 61-year-old woman and a 91-year-old.

After being informed his ex-wife wasn’t there, Foote continued searching the residence. Court documents said when he realized she wasn’t there, he became upset while holding “what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail in his right (hand) and a green torch tank in his left hand.”

Witnesses recalled Foote saying: “Bad move, I’ll torch everything, I’ll burn this whole (expletive) house down.”

In court documents, the 61-year-old told police she knew Foote had recently burned down his own home on Kamanu Street in Hawaiian Beaches and feared for her safety.

Court records in May 2025 confirm Foote missed court dates in his previous felony cases earlier this year because he was being treated at Straub Benioff Medical Center in Honolulu for burns.

Police and members of the Hawai’i Police Department Special Response Team responded to the house on ‘Aʻama Street, where they were able to help the women get out safely while negotiating with Foote to surrender.

The area was closed for several hours.

“Foote refused the officer’s request to exit the residence,” the court document stated. “Upon execution of a search warrant for the residence, Foote was immediately apprehended when he finally exited the residence.”

Officers searching the second story of the home where Foote was last seen and recovered 12 beer bottles containing liquid that smelled strongly like gasoline or a flammable liquid.

“Some of the bottles were stuffed with what appeared to be white baby wipes, and a green torch tank near the bottles was also recovered,” court documents said.

Detectives with Hawai’i Police Department Area 1 Criminal Investigations Division are continuing the investigation.