Opinion ID: 4222678
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Moana’s Arrest and Preliminary Hearing

Text: On June 20, 2017, police arrested Moana for assault in the second degree in violation of Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 707-711 (2014 & Supp. 2016). On June 22, 2017, Moana was charged by complaint with abuse of family or household members, which was statutorily enhanced to a class C felony due to the alleged incident occurring in the presence of a minor household member under the age of 14. HRS § 709-906(1), (9) (Supp. 2016). The same day, Moana made his initial appearance before the Family Court of the First Circuit (family court); the family 3 FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER court confirmed bail at $30,000 and issued an order scheduling a preliminary hearing for June 26, 2017.1 On the day of the preliminary hearing, the State requested a continuance, informing the family court that the complaining witness had “absented herself” from the proceeding. The prosecutor stated that the complainant had expressed a reluctance to come to court when she was served on the preceding Friday by the prosecuting attorney’s investigators but did not indicate that she did not intend to appear. The prosecutor explained that he had since been contacted by the complainant’s aunt, who informed him that she had taken food to the airport to give to the complainant and her child. Based on this information, the prosecutor stated that he was not sure whether the complaining witness was present on the island. He requested additional time to locate and secure the complainant’s cooperation, explaining that his office might obtain a material witness order if she was found on the mainland and refused to return voluntarily. The prosecutor advised the court that, 1 HRPP Rule 54(a) (1996) states that the HRPP “apply to all penal proceedings in all courts of the State of Hawaii, except as provided in” HRPP Rule 54(b). Moana’s case did not fall within any of the exceptions listed in HRPP Rule 54(b). Because Moana’s initial appearance occurred on a Thursday, the scheduled hearing would have occurred within the two-day time limit as calculated under HRPP Rule 45(a) (2012), which excludes holidays and weekends. All references to time limits or elapsed time are computed in accordance with this rule. 4 FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER because Moana’s initial appearance was on June 22, 2017, “the 30 days for preliminary hearing would run on Saturday, July 22nd” and requested that the hearing be rescheduled before that date.2 Moana moved to dismiss the complaint or, in the alternative, for the family court to set aside bail and release him on his own recognizance to the supervision of his church pastor or mother, who were present in the courtroom. The prosecutor opposed Moana’s motion, citing the nature of the offense. He explained that the complainant was thirty-threeweeks pregnant at the time Moana allegedly bit and punched her, causing injury to her ear and a possible concussion. He further stated that the argument leading to the incident arose because the complaining witness asked for money to buy food for her and Moana’s two-year-old child. The prosecutor asserted that the child was present during the events and Moana allegedly threw Lego-style blocks at the child’s head, causing bruising.3 He also pointed to Moana’s 2014 arrest for abuse of the same complaining witness, contending that the alleged attack was an 2 HRPP Rule 5(c)(3) requires courts to schedule a preliminary hearing within thirty days of a defendant’s initial appearance “if the defendant is not in custody.” If a defendant has been “held in custody for a period of more than 2 days after initial appearance without commencement of a defendant’s preliminary hearing,” the rule mandates the defendant’s release upon his or her own motion. This provision is subject to several narrow exceptions, discussed infra. 3 The prosecutor explained that the State intended to pursue misdemeanor child abuse charges against Moana in a separate proceeding. 5 FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER escalation of violence toward the individual and that Moana might be a danger to her. Lastly, the State argued that there had been “some obstruction” from Moana’s family during the investigation, making release into their custody inappropriate. Taken together, the State concluded, these factors were compelling reasons to continue the hearing and to keep Moana in custody. The family court granted the State’s motion for a continuance and denied Moana’s motion for dismissal of the complaint. Seemingly relying on the State’s assertion regarding the thirty-day period in which a preliminary hearing must be held, the court noted that the “hearing [had been] set very expeditiously within the 30-day limit,” which left the court free to continue it without legal obstacle. With respect to bail reduction, the family court noted several factors guiding its discretion in setting or modifying bail, including Moana’s criminal history, the nature of the offense, and the vulnerable nature of the complainant and their child.4 The prosecutor asked for clarification regarding whether 4 The family court also expressed general concern regarding individuals who threaten or otherwise attempt to persuade a witness not to testify, referencing an unrelated recent news story. Because the parties did not allege such coercion and the record does not reveal any linkage of the news story to the facts of the case, we do not address the court’s general concern. 6 FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER these findings relating to bail also constituted compelling reasons for the continuance and for keeping Moana in custody, to which the court answered affirmatively. The family court confirmed bail at $30,000 and scheduled the continued preliminary hearing for July 13, 2017, which was 15 days after Moana’s initial appearance. The court informed the prosecutor that it had intentionally left time before the presumed 30-day deadline for another continuance if necessary, but it went on to warn that “the next time . . . if the complaining witness fails to appear . . . [the State] need[s] a lot more information than what somebody might have said.” Prior to the continued hearing date, Moana filed with this court a petition for a writ of mandamus.