A 43-year-old Naalehu man accused of possessing pornographic images involving children has been freed on supervised release — a form of cashless bail — following his initial court appearance.
According to court records, Kona District Judge Mahilani Hiatt on Friday granted the motion of Deputy Public Defender Victoria Andrade-McKeehan to release Dawson Dominador Pilanca, whose original bail was $100,000 for second-degree promotion of child abuse. Deputy Prosecutor Aaron Masser unsuccessfully argued for some cash bail being maintained.
Hiatt ordered Dawson to return to court for a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. on May 28.
Police said the investigation was launched in December after a cyber tip revealed possession of child pornography. A search warrant was obtained by West Hawaii Vice detectives for Pilanca’s cellphone, and more than 70 graphic videos of sexual conduct involving minors, some younger than 12, were discovered on the device, police said.
According to court documents filed by police, Pilanca was read his Miranda rights and elected to make a statement.
Pilanca reportedly told detectives he obtained the images through an app he identified as Telegram. He reportedly told officers he saved videos to his phone, but would occasionally delete them due to insufficient storage for multiple videos.
“When asked, Pilanca related something to the effect of he likes pornography with children depicted,” a document stated.
Second-degree promotion of child abuse is a Class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, upon conviction. According to police, Pilanca originally was also charged with third-degree promotion of child abuse, a Class C felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, upon conviction, but only the more serious charge made it to court.
According to police, West Hawaii Vice detectives investigated the case in partnership with the Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
According to court records, Pilanca has no previous criminal record in Hawaii and no felony convictions in the U.S.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
