By JOHN BURNETT
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
A Hilo grand jury has indicted a 30-year-old Hilo man for two alleged peeping Tom incidents late last year.
The indictment charges Paul Waathmad with second-degree violation of privacy and second-degree unauthorized entry in a dwelling.
Both incidents took place at the Hilo Tropical Gardens Hostel in Keaukaha. According to a police spokeswoman, On Nov. 6, Waathmad allegedly peered into the window of a 27-year-old woman while she was changing clothes. Then, on Nov. 13, he allegedly entered the hostel and opened a shower curtain while a 57-year-old woman was showering.
Patricia Owens, who owns the hostel with her brother, David, said that Waathmad was neither an employee nor a guest at the hostel and described him as “a creepy little man.”
“He came onto the property and peeked in,” Owens said on Monday. “… The police caught him. They were very diligent and awesome.” Owens also praised Deputy Prosecutor Mitch Roth and others in the county prosecutor’s office, saying they “really helped a lot.”
Owens said she has installed security cameras on the property since the alleged incidents.
A bench warrant was issued for Waathmad’s arrest and set his bail at $12,000. The warrant also orders Waathmad to stay away from the hostel.
Court records also indicate that Owens filed for temporary restraining orders against Waathmad late last year, but both her petitions were denied.
Owens called the incidents disturbing and noted that the hostel is across Kalanianaole Avenue from Ke Ana La‘ahana Public Charter School.
” This could have been my niece,” she said. “I would hope that he gets put away for a little bit and gets a lot of help, because that’s what he needs.”
Court records show no prior felony convictions for Waathmad, whose Facebook page indicates that he is from Yap, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Unauthorized entry in a dwelling is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison, and violation of privacy is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.