A 55-year-old Hilo man was arrested early Monday morning after officers responding to the possible location of a runaway teenage girl found her unconscious and partially clothed in the front passenger seat of the man’s car, according to court documents filed by police.
Robert Alan Kinoshita is charged with first-degree sexual assault of a minor, three counts of third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, plus possession of drug paraphernalia.
During Kinoshita’s initial court appearance Wednesday, he waived his right to a preliminary hearing within 48 hours.
Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach denied a motion by Stanton Oshiro, Kinoshita’s court-appointed attorney, to reduce his client’s $80,000 bail.
Laubach ordered Kinoshita, who was free on bail in two other active felony drug cases when arrested shortly after 1 a.m. Monday, to return to court at 2 p.m. June 10.
The girl had been reported missing last month. Officers found the teen after her mother pinpointed the girl’s location to the area of the former Puueo Poi Factory in Hilo by using a cellphone tracking app, documents state.
Officers found the girl passed out in Kinoshita’s red Ford Focus, which officers discovered parked on Maile Street at the rear of the former poi factory, according to documents.
Documents state Kinoshita was standing by the car and threw several items into a nearby grassy area as officers approached him.
A search of the area turned up a green Crown Royal bag, a green metal box, a black beanie and a green glass smoking pipe with a bulbous end, with a clear glass smoking pipe visible inside the car, according to documents.
Officers obtained a search warrant for the car and found a smoking pipe and digital scale, and residue of the pipes tested positive for methamphetamine, documents state.
The teen was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where an emergency room doctor discovered bruising to her face and legs, plus signs of possible sexual penetration, according to documents.
Documents state that after Kinoshita was advised of his rights, he told officers he picked up the victim from a Hilo home, drove up Stainback Highway, smoked meth with her, then took her to the old poi factory area.
Kinoshita admitted to sexual acts with the minor, according to documents, but told officers the girl — who isn’t legally old enough to consent — wanted to be intimate with him.
He allegedly told police he thought the teen passed out because of intoxication but denied “drugging” the victim.
According to documents, the girl’s mother said a friend of her daughter had received a call from the victim, who was afraid she’d be sexually assaulted because she had smoked ice.
The Tribune-Herald doesn’t identify minor victims of sexual assault, nor does it identify adult sexual assault victims unless an adult victim chooses to go public.
The first-degree sexual assault charge is a Class A felony that carries a potential 20-year term of imprisonment upon conviction, while third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug is a Class C felony with a maximum five-year prison term.
Kinoshita, who was sentenced to five years in prison on a 2007 felony drug conviction, remains in custody in lieu of bail at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com
