Girlfriend in critical condition; boyfriend charged with assault, abuse

KAILUA-KONA — A Ka‘u man is facing assault and abuse charges after the woman he was hiking with was found unconscious Friday morning in the Ocean View area.

Vencent Michael Nelson, 40, of Hawaiian Ranchos, was slated to make his initial court appearance this morning in Kona District Court on charges of first-degree assault and abuse of a family or household member in connection with the incident. His bail is set at $27,000, according to the Hawaii Police Department.

At approximately 11:37 a.m., Ka’u patrol officers responded to the Hawaiian Ranchos subdivision area to a report of an unconscious female who had reportedly been hiking from Pohue Bay with her boyfriend. The 40-year-old victim from Alaska was transported to the Kona Community Hospital in critical condition and later transported to The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu, where she remains in critical condition.

Police said she is reported to have received traumatic injuries about her head and bruising and redness about her body.

Kona patrol officers arrested the woman’s boyfriend, Nelson, and he was transported to the Kealakehe Police Station pending further investigation by detectives with the Area II Juvenile Aid Section until he was charged Sunday morning.