KEALAKEKUA — A 34-year-old Kailua-Kona man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of attempted murder and felony assault stemming from an Oct. 28 beating off Henry Street. ADVERTISING KEALAKEKUA — A 34-year-old Kailua-Kona man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges
KEALAKEKUA — A 34-year-old Kailua-Kona man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of attempted murder and felony assault stemming from an Oct. 28 beating off Henry Street.
Anthony “Tony” Beaudet-Close now faces a March 14 jury trial after his attorney, Michael Schlueter, entered the pleas to second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault during an initial 3rd Circuit Court appearance before Judge Melvin Fujino.
Fujino also maintained bail at $150,000 for Beaudet-Close, who remains in custody at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center. Deputy Prosecutor Kate Deleon successfully argued that Beaudet-Close is a flight risk because of the severity of the charges he faces and because he has 13 prior convictions including for failure to appear and contempt of court.
Schlueter agreed that his client “does have a criminal history, but some of those are quite old” and the convictions were for crimes less severe. He added his client is not a danger to the community and will appear for cases, as he has for the past three years in connection with cases from this year and 2013. He also pointed out inconsistencies in a bail status report that said he was “high risk” to not appear, but also notes he was rated as “good and likely to reappear.”
He also equated the $150,000 bail set in the case to having no bail.
“Even with all of their resources, they are not even close to bail,” he said.
When questioned by Fujino as to what had changed since bail was maintained in District Court and the case was remanded to Circuit Court on Nov. 14, Schlueter said he had not received his client’s full information form, but only a bail study report.
Before Fujino ruled to maintain bail, he also argued his client turned himself into police and was cooperative.
The charges filed against Beaudet-Close stem from Oct. 28 when police and prosecutors allege that the 34-year-old assaulted a 39-year-old man who was sent to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.
The man, whom West Hawaii Today is not identifying because he is a victim, suffered a traumatic brain injury and a subdural hematoma causing coma, and multiple facial fractures. During a Nov. 14 preliminary hearing, a victim counselor with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, said he was unable to be testify because he was still unresponsive.
Deleon said after Wednesday’s hearing that she did not have an update on the victim’s condition. A Hawaii Police Department spokeswoman said the victim in the Beaudet-Close case remained in critical condition Wednesday.
