A 30-year-old Hilo man judges recently released three times from custody without monetary bail despite prosecutors’ objections is back behind bars after allegedly committing more crimes.
Kiky Kikku is charged with burglary during a civil defense emergency, second-degree assault, first-degree terroristic threatening and marijuana possession.
The burglary charge is a Class A felony because of emergencies due to COVID-19 declared by Gov. David Ige and Mayor Harry Kim and carries a potential 20-year prison term upon conviction. The assault and terroristic threatening charges are Class C felonies with maximum prison terms of five years.
Kikku remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center, with bail set at $70,100.
That bail amount was maintained last Monday by Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas and on Wednesday by Hilo District Judge Bruce Larson, who ordered a mental examination for Kikku.
Kikku was ordered to return to court at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 27.
Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth said he’s “happy” the judges maintained bail but expressed concern about Kikku being released without cash bail leading up to the current alleged offenses.
“The fact that some of these guys have been released and are committing other crimes is very disturbing,” Roth said. “There are others besides him.”
On Aug. 31, Kikku was granted supervised release without monetary bail on a misdemeanor assault charge and three counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, a Class C felony, by Freitas, according to court records. The prosecutor in the case, Andrew Son, had requested that Freitas maintain Kikku’s $16,000 bail in the case.
And in a petty misdemeanor trespassing case, Kikku was granted supervised release over Son’s objections by Larson on July 7 and on Kikku’s own recognizance on Sept. 8 by Freitas over objections by Deputy Prosecutor Keyra Wong, after Kikku was arrested on a revocation of terms of release warrant. His original bail in that case was $1,000.
According to court documents filed by police in the current case, Kikku was arrested at about 8:10 a.m. Sunday after an Ohai Street resident reported Kikku had entered his home brandished a knife and told the resident and his housemate “I’m going to kill you.”
One of the men, a 50-year-old, reportedly told police he grabbed a metal rake to try to fend Kikku off, but that Kikku lunged at him and stabbed him under his left armpit. The men reportedly told police they were able to get him out of the house, and Kikku fled on foot.
The victim sustained two cuts to the left side of his torso, documents state.
Court records indicate Kikku was sentenced to five years in prison in 2010 for two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, and had missed court on Sept. 4 for sentencing on charges including second-degree assault, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and resisting an order to stop. His failure to appear led to the revocation warrant.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
