KAILUA-KONA — The 57-year-old man who barricaded himself inside a North Kona home prompting a six-hour standoff last week remains hospitalized.
Richard D. Gorloff, of Kailua-Kona, was still being treated as of Tuesday afternoon at Kona Community Hospital, according to Hawaii Police Department Capt. Reed Mahuna, commander of the Area II Criminal Investigations Section. No additional information regarding his condition was available because of patient confidentiality.
Gorloff has been hospitalized since surrendering peacefully to police shortly before 3 p.m. on Thursday. He was arrested that day, however, because of his confinement to the hospital he had to be released pending investigation because charges could not be filed within 48 hours as required by law.
“Mr. Gorloff is not in police custody at this time, however there is an officer at the hospital (and has been since the incident) standing by awaiting his release,” Mahuna said in an email to West Hawaii Today Monday afternoon. An arrest warrant has already been secured.
Police confirmed Tuesday he remained hospitalized.
Police were sent to Gorloff’s Ahulani Street home on Thursday morning after receiving a report from the man’s ex-wife that he’d threatened to kill her. Gorloff refused to exit his residence and told officers that if they came any closer, he would blow up the residence.
The department stated that officers also observed Gorloff with a small propane tank and a 5-gallon gas can that was open and filled with an unknown liquid. He also appeared to be carrying a propane torch that was unlit, and a flint striker. The smell of propane was present in the air.
Neighboring homes were evacuated and the department’s Special Response and Crisis Negotiation teams were deployed. Gorloff surrendered “peacefully” about six hours later.
According to court records, Gorloff at the time of Thursday’s incident was free on $20,000 bail in connection with a reckless endangering case that involved firearms occurred back in July. A $20,000 bench warrant was issued for his arrest on Friday.
He is next set to appear in court Thursday for Judge Robert D.S. Kim to rule on his fitness and capacity to proceed with trial.
He is facing charges of first-degree reckless endangering; first-degree criminal property damage; two counts ownership of a firearm and/or ammunition when prohibited because of a protective or restraining order; two counts failure to register a firearm and five counts violating a protective order in the case, which indicates the alleged offenses occurred July 3-5.
Gorloff, according to the complaint, intentionally fired a firearm recklessly placing a minor in danger of death of serious bodily injury and damaged a pickup truck and/or window “by means other than fire” on July 3.
