A 31-year-old Puna patrol officer accused of participating in an Aug. 15 home invasion in Ka‘u is expected to make his first court appearance in the case today.
Mark Kealoha Kaili Jr. of Keaau has an 11:30 a.m. arraignment and plea scheduled before Kona Circuit Judge Wendy DeWeese. Kaili, who’s charged with first-degree burglary and third-degree assault, was indicted Sept. 5 by a Kona grand jury, moving his case from District Court to Circuit Court.
According to police, Kaili and an acquaintance, 27-year-old Cody Kuaili’aimoku Kanahele, entered a Naalehu home, both reportedly wearing masks, and allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old male resident, Braden Paea, whom police said is Kanahele’s cousin.
Kanahele also was indicted the same day on the same charges. He’s scheduled for arraignment and plea at 11:30 a.m. Monday before 3rd District Chief Judge Robert Kim, which indicates the state intends to try Kaili and Kanahele separately.
Both are free after posting bail — $6,000 for Kaili and $5,500 for Kanahele.
During the altercation, Paea’s grandfather intervened and in the process unmasked one of the suspects, later identified as Kaili. Police say Kaili was off-duty during the alleged incident, as well as at the time of his arrest Aug. 18 at Kaili’s Hawaiian Paradise Park home.
On Aug. 28, Kanahele filed a petition in Family Court seeking a temporary restraining order against Paea. According to Kanahele’s petition, on Aug. 15 — the same date as the alleged home invasion — Paea “threaten(ed) my family to kill us with an unregistered AK-47.”
The petition was dismissed without prejudice when neither party appeared in court or via Zoom for a hearing Sept. 5, the same day the indictments were returned.
In the ongoing criminal cases, the more serious charge, first-degree burglary, is a Class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.
There are no allegations that Kaili and Kanahele took anything from Paea or the victim’s home, but the burglary charge stems from the pair reportedly entering the home without permission “with intent to commit a crime therein,” Hawaii Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz told the Tribune-Herald last month.
Kaili, who has been on the force since June 1, 2021, has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of both the criminal case and an internal administrative investigation by the Office of Professional Standards, the department’s internal affairs unit.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
