Puna man indicted for 19 offenses, including sexual abuse, following domestic incident involving firearm
A 32-year-old Puna man was indicted on nearly 20 charges, including assault, sexual assault and firearms offenses, in connection with domestic incidents between Aug. 21 and 28 at a residence on Pāhoa-Kapoho Road.
Hawai‘i County prosecutor’s office reports a Hilo Circuit Court grand jury on Tuesday indicted Joseph Kekedi Jr. for:
- 2 counts of second-degree sexual assault.
- 3 counts of misdemeanor abuse of a family or household member.
- Felony abuse of a family or household member.
- Second-degree assault.
- First-degree reckless endangering.
- 6 counts of permit to acquire.
- 4 counts of registration mandatory.
- Ownership prohibited.
The court denied Kekedi’s request for supervised release, maintained his bail at $472,000 and scheduled a further proceedings hearing for Nov. 10. The Puna man made his initial court appearance Aug. 31 in Hilo District Court.
The most serious offense of second-degree sexual assault is a Class B felony punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison. Felony abuse of a family or household member and ownership prohibited are both Class C felonies with a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, if convicted.
Hawai‘i Police Department reports Kekedi was arrested Aug. 28 after officers responded to a domestic incident involving a firearm at the Pāhoa-Kapoho Road residence.
Police while executing a residential search warrant recovered five firearms, including a DPMS AR-15 style rifle, Sturm Ruger .223-caliber rifle, Titan Tiger .38-caliber revolver, Remington 12-gauge shotgun and Winchester 12-gauge shotgun.
The initial arrest was made by Hawai’i Police Department Puna Patrol Officer Rodney DeLima, while The felony investigation was led by department Area I Juvenile Aid Section Detective Jenny Lee. Deputy Hawai’i County Prosecuting Attorney Ha‘aheo Kaho‘ohalahala is prosecuting the case.
