3 Big Island men arrested for failing to comply with sex-offender registry

Three convicted sex offenders on Hawai‘i Island were taken into custody during a three-day compliance operation in the Kona area conducted by federal, state and county law enforcement partners.

Joseph Debus, 56, of Kailua-Kona, Garth Coleman, 53, of Hōlualoa and Alexsandr Skelcey, 34, also of Kailua-Kona, were arrested during the week of June 29 for failing to comply with Hawaiʻi’s sex offender registry laws.

Debus pleaded no contest to second-degree sexual assault, a class B felony, in April 1993 in Third Circuit Court. He was sentenced to one year in jail and five years’ probation.

Coleman was convicted by jury trial for first-degree sexual assault, a class A felony in June 2000, also in Third Circuit Court, according to the Hawai‘i State Judiciary’s records in eCourt Kokua. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Skelcey’s offense didn’t occur in the state of Hawai‘i.

During the operation, investigators conducted compliance checks on multiple registered sex offenders who had been identified as potentially out of compliance with Hawaiʻi’s Sex Offender Registry requirements, according to a news release from the State Department of the Attorney General, which led the operation. Along with the arrests, the operation also brought several individuals back into compliance with the registry.

“Sex offender registration requirements exist to protect our communities and ensure law enforcement knows where convicted offenders are living,” said Tom Alipio, chief of the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigations Division. “Compliance operations like this send a clear message that we will actively monitor the registry, investigate violations and work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable when they fail to meet their legal obligations.”

Led by the Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General’s Investigations Division Sex Offender Registry Team, the United States Marshals Service, the Department of Law Enforcement, the Hawaiʻi Police Department and the Hawaiʻi County Prosecutor’s Office assisted in the operation.

“Operations like this allow us to verify that offenders are maintaining strict compliance with registration laws and those who aren’t will be addressed immediately. We will continue to leverage these multi-agency partnerships to keep our island communities safe,” said Hawaiʻi Police Chief Reed Mahuna.

Members of the public can look up publicly available offender information and subscribe to notifications through Hawaiʻi Sex Offender and Other Covered Offender Registry. Anyone with information regarding a registered sex offender who may be violating registration requirements is encouraged to contact the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigation Division at 808-586-1240 or their local law enforcement.