An Oregon man is charged with two counts of sexual assault after allegedly committing a nonconsensual sex act on a woman who asked him to sleep with her in the nude on her bed, according to court documents filed by police.
Documents state the 24-year-old woman, a guest in an Airbnb on Government Beach Road in Pahoa, told police that at about 2 a.m. Friday she had asked 34-year-old Christopher Sanburn, another tenant in the Airbnb, to sleep in the nude with her because she was afraid of a pig that was on the property.
According to documents, the woman told police that while she was sleeping in the nude with Sanburn, she felt a pain in her vagina, and discovered Sanburn’s penis inside her.
The woman told police she did not give consent for Sanburn to have sex with her, documents state.
Sanburn was charged with second-degree sexual assault, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment upon conviction, and fourth-degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail.
Advised of his rights, Sanburn requested a lawyer, documents state.
According to documents, bail was set at $50,000 for the more serious charge and $2,000 for the lesser charge, “due to the seriousness of the offense and the risk of (Sanburn) fleeing the jurisdiction.”
A check of national crime databases found no prior felony convictions for Sanburn, documents state.
At Sanburn’s initial court appearance Monday, Deputy Public Defender Megan Fellows made a motion for Sanburn to be freed on court-supervised release without monetary bail, and Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Son objected to the motion.
Hilo District Judge Jeffrey Hawk denied Sanburn’s motion, maintained bail at $52,000 and ordered Sanburn to return Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
