A 28-year-old Pahoa man admitted earlier this month he violently beat a 68-year-old man in downtown Hilo last year.
In a deal with prosecutors, Chad Armitage Jr. pleaded guilty on Sept. 11 to second-degree assault for the attack on July 10, 2022, that fractured the skull and right eye socket of Dennis Kamahele.
In return for Armitage’s plea, charges of first-degree assault and second-degree robbery were dismissed.
Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto scheduled sentencing for Armitage at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 28.
Second-degree assault is a Class C felony that carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. According to court records, however, Deputy Prosecutor Haaheo Kahoohalahala told the judge that the plea deal called for a minimum jail term of 20 months. The two dropped charges are both Class B felonies that carry a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment.
Court documents filed by police state that Armitage told officers he knew the victim, and said that Kamahele owed him money from a bet and “got what he deserved.”
Armitage told police Kamahele slapped Armitage in the face, “talked s—t” to him, and insulted his baseball team.
Armitage said he got mad, “judo flipped” Kamahele to the ground, and collected $5 that was next to Kamahele. Armitage allegedly told police Kamahele owed him $15 more.
Police responding to the report of an assault fronting 166 Keawe St. found Kamahele unresponsive with head injuries and bleeding from the right side of his head, the documents state. Kamahele’s wallet was on the ground next to him, as was a Visa gift card.
Documents state Dr. Douglas Calvert at Hilo Medical Center reported Kamahele’s injuries were a subdural hematoma — a serious condition in which blood collects between the skull and the brain — an intercranial hemorrhage, a right-side skull fracture, and a fractured right eye socket. Kamahele was flown to The Queen’s Medical Center for further treatment.
Armitage has three prior felony convictions, including first-degree assault in 2019 for an attack on a 48-year-old male acquaintance that sent the victim to the hospital, according to the documents. Armitage was sentenced to four years of probation for that assault, but his probation was revoked in May 2022.
Armitage remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.