KAILUA-KONA — Police on Friday said that testing in connection with a Kailua-Kona sexual assault case has been completed and that they expect to forward the case to prosecutors shortly.
The victim’s family spoke out for the first-time since the Sept. 3 incident, providing a brief statement to West Hawaii Today late Friday after being informed of the completion of testing.
“We are very grateful to hear that the case is moving forward, and we are hopeful that this will help Heather with her recovery,” said the family, which approved of releasing the victim’s name. It is normally the policy of West Hawaii Today to protect the identity of a sexual assault victim.
The case concerns two minors accused of sexually assaulting and attacking the woman at Old Kona Airport Park on Sept. 3. At 8:35 p.m. that day, police said, two boys reportedly approached a woman in the park, then punched and sexually assaulted her.
They reportedly fled when someone confronted them, according to a release issued in the days after the attack.
Police arrested one suspect, a 15-year-old boy, one day after the attack. He was later released to the custody of his parents.
Hawaii Police Department Lt. Gilbert Gaspar said Friday police had identified the second boy, who was “brought in and interviewed.”
In the time after the attack, no new arrests or updates were announced.
About a dozen Big Island residents took to demonstrating in October, saying the case wasn’t being given enough attention. Some mentioned their concern that the first boy arrested had been released back to the custody of his parents.
The Department of Education’s director of communications has said student privacy laws prevent the department from discussing any case involving students.
In November, police said prosecutors wanted the results of an evidence kit before making a decision on charges.
“As in some of our high-priority cases,” said Gaspar on Friday, “prior to routing the case, we confer with the prosecutors to offer them their input, which sometimes may require further investigation.”
He also added that the victim in the case has moved, so communication “has not always been immediate.”
Friday, Gaspar confirmed that testing has been completed, though he declined to comment on the details of testing.
“Other lab work has been requested to recover electronic data,” he added.
West Hawaii Today Associate Editor Chelsea Jensen contributed to this report.