A preliminary hearing for a 47-year-old Kona man accused of possession and attempted distribution of pounds of methamphetamine and a host of other felony offenses has been delayed.
Michael Kaonohi Perry’s case was called for a preliminary hearing in Kona District Court Tuesday, however, Deputy Public Defender Frederick Macapinlac motioned for a continuation to have Perry physically present for the proceeding. The man was not brought to court due to quarantine following a possible COVID exposure.
The hearing, during which the state will work to show it has probable cause to support the 19 counts filed against Perry, will now take place Jan. 19.
According to police and prosecutors, Perry was in possession of more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine, and an undisclosed amount of hydrocodone and fentanyl pills when he was pulled over by police on Jan. 5 in South Kohala. The man, who has two prior felony convictions, was also in possession of a loaded firearm and counterfeit U.S. currency.
Perry was subsequently charged with three counts of ownership of a prohibited automatic firearm; two counts each first-degree promoting a dangerous drug and ownership or possession of a firearm prohibited due to felon status; and one count each third-degree promoting a dangerous drug, possession of a firearm with intent to facilitate a felony drug offense, place to keep ammunition, place to keep a pistol or revolver, carrying a loaded firearm on a public highway, failure to register a firearm after arriving in the state, failure to have a permit to acquire a firearm, second-degree promoting a dangerous drug, operating a vehicle without a license, third-degree forgery, and attempted first-degree promoting a dangerous drug.
If convicted of the Class A felony offenses of first-degree promoting and attempted promoting a dangerous drug and possession of a firearm with intent to facilitate a felony drug offense, Perry could face up to 20 years behind bars, Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen said in a media release.
Bail was maintained Tuesday at $200,000 bail. He remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.