A 39-year-old Hilo man who fought in local mixed martial arts shows was arrested early Wednesday morning for allegedly breaking into a Hilo home and restraining a woman.
Chadwick “Chad” K. Thomas is charged with kidnapping, first-degree burglary, second-degree assault and third-degree sexual assault. His bail was set at $70,000.
According to court documents filed by police, Thomas allegedly entered the woman’s home by removing a window screen and forcing a living room window open. He allegedly entered the woman’s bedroom, grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into the bathroom. The woman told police Thomas prevented her from leaving by restraining her arms behind the back, started removing her clothing and bit her softly on the upper body.
The woman allegedly told Thomas to stop several times, to no avail. She has an active restraining order against Thomas, according to court documents.
During Thomas’ initial court appearance Thursday, Deputy Public Defender Megan Fellows asked the judge to grant Thomas supervised release or to reduce his bail. She said Thomas is employed and is in “residential treatment.”
“Mr. Thomas doesn’t have any history of contempt of court,” Fellows said. “Aside from a (fourth-degree theft) conviction earlier this year, he hasn’t had any contact with the court since 2009.”
Deputy Prosecutor Evans Smith said Thomas has “two prior violations of (a) protective order, which would indicate and demonstrate that he has difficulty following court orders that would be attendant with supervised release.”
“While it’s not a conviction, he was recently arrested for violation of the same order and he was on supervised release for that arrest when this particular incident arose,” Smith added. “Your Honor, the complaining witness has expressed serious safety concern.”
Smith said the high bail amount is because Thomas was convicted in 2007 for felony negligent injury.
Hilo District Judge Michael Udovic maintained Thomas’ bail and ordered him to return at 2 p.m. Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
Kidnapping is a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment upon conviction. First-burglary is a Class B felony carrying a possible 10-year prison term. The other two offenses are Class C felonies with a maximum five-year prison term.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
