$250K BAIL FOR KONA ASSAULT SUSPECTS
State of Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services Building Construction Inspector Brian Jenkins
explains progress in a district court courtroom at the under-construction Keahuolu Courthouse Tuesday in
Kailua-Kona. LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY
FACILITY TARGETED TO
OPEN LATE SUMMER 2019
KAILUA-KONA — The
Keahuolu Courthouse is taking
shape, but Kona’s first centralized
judiciary complex remains
about a year away from the gavel
striking the block.
Crews were hammering, sawing
and grinding away Tuesday
as work progressed within the
statuesque 140,000-square-foot
facility off Makala Boulevard
PRELIMINARY HEARING SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY
KEALAKEKUA — A preliminary
hearing has been scheduled
for Friday for the three suspects
accused of beating a hotel security
guard earlier this week.
Wesley Samoa, Lama Lauvao and
Natisha Tautalatasi made their initial
appearance Wednesday morning
in District Court.
The three are charged with second
degree attempted murder in
connection to a near-death beating
about 12:30 Monday when they
allegedly got into a verbal confrontation
with a security guard while
parked at Kona Seaside Hotel.
According to Hawaii Police, the
that’s been decades in the
making.
Much of the exterior work is
complete with stately blue-hued
windows installed and the facility’s
name emblazoned on its
facade. Inside the mighty walls,
the 1-acre interior is coming to
life with a grand lobby, courtrooms,
temporary holding cells,
a maze of secure corridors and a
whole lot more.
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confrontation escalated into the
three individuals physically assaulting
the guard.
Because of the severity of his
injuries, the 63-year-old victim
was flown to The Queen’s Medical
Center on Oahu for further treatment.
As of press time Wednesday,
he remained in critical condition.
During Wednesday’s hearing,
defense counsel Matthew Sylva
requested that the $250,000 bail be
reduced for each of the defendants.
Samoa, 30, of Kona, addressed
Judge Margaret Masunaga in this
request.
Samoa asked about getting supervised
release. He agreed to be on
house arrest to have the ability to go
to and from work.
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Deputy Prosecutor Chase Murray
opposed the reduction in bail and
supervised release, indicating the
charge is serious and, if convicted,
carries a long-term punishment,
which makes him a potential flight
risk.
Masunaga maintained bail at
$250,000 for Samoa. However, she
provided bail conditions if he did
make bail, which were to check in
with Hawaii Intake Service Center,
check in with his attorney once
a week and appear for all court
appearances.
The judge added the condition
that Samoa not go within 300 yards
of Seaside Hotel or the victim.
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HI 89 LO 78 WEATHER, PAGE 5A
VOL. 50, NO. 263 20 PAGES
BY TIFFANY DEMASTERS
WEST HAWAII TODAY
tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com
Lama Lauvao, left, Natisha Tautalatasi and
Wesley Samoa make their first appearance
Wednesday in District court for attempted
murder charges. LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY SEE ASSAULT PAGE 4A
‘The community deserves this’
$96M KEAHUOLU COURTHOUSE TAKING SHAPE
BY CHELSEA JENSEN
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com
The new Keahuolu Courthouse is under
construction with an anticipated late summer
2019 opening date. LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY SEE COURT PAGE 4A
Hurricane
Lane impact
felt out west
COUNCIL PLANS FOR GENERAL
EXCISE TAX REVENUES
CHANGED BY EMERGENCIES
BY NANCY COOK LAUER
WEST HAWAII TODAY
ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com
HILO — Two Kona road projects
and an express Kona-Hilo bus route
face delays because of new expenses
created by Hurricane Lane.
The County Council put its final
stamp of approval Wednesday on a
revised budget reallocating the proceeds
of $10 million the county anticipates
receiving this fiscal year from
a quarter-cent surcharge on the state
general excise tax that starts Jan. 1.
Struck from the immediate budget
was $1.5 million for Oneo Lane and
the Ane Keohokalole extension, as well
as $1.6 million to expand Hele-On
bus routes that included a Hilo-Kona
express route, aimed at connecting
Hilo with the South Kohala resorts
and Kona via Saddle Road.
The money, as well as other trims
from Mass Transit, were put into the
capital projects fund, to be used to
repair county facilities damaged by the
hurricane.
Kona Councilman Dru Kanuha
said he hopes the road projects can go
forward.
“The council voted for the GET with
the understanding that specific projects
would be covered by this surcharge,
i.e… mass transit and road
projects,” Kanuha said. “GET money
needed to recover from this past natural
disaster is understandable, but I
hope it doesn’t take away from the high
priority items such as Ane Keohokalole
Highway and Oneo Lane, which have
been high priority for a long time.”
The council left $1.8 million in the
budget to buy new buses after Finance
Director Deanna Sako said it will save
SEE GET PAGE 4A
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