KAILUA-KONA — A 57-year-old man is slated to make his initial court appearance today on charges stemming from an Oct. 10 standoff with police that lasted nearly six hours.
Richard D. Gorloff was arrested and charged Monday afternoon with first-degree terroristic threatening, second-degree terroristic threatening and violating an order of protection in connection with the Oct. 10 incident in the Kona Coast View subdivision of North Kona, the Hawaii Police Department said. Bail was set at $14,000 pending an initial court appearance today.
The charges were filed just hours after Gorloff was released from Kona Community Hospital around 12:30 p.m., police said. He’d been receiving treatment there since surrendering peacefully to police shortly before 3 p.m. on Oct. 10.
Police were sent to Gorloff’s Ahulani Street home shortly before 9 a.m. Oct. 10 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 without incident about six hours later.
According to court records, Gorloff at the time of the Oct. 10 incident was free on $20,000 bail in connection with a reckless endangering case that involved firearms that occurred back in July. Bail was revoked in the case on Oct. 11.
Gorloff, according to the complaint which alleges criminal property damage and firearms and protective order violations, 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.