A judge on Tuesday reduced bail for a former fugitive who on Monday engaged in an hours-long armed standoff with police in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates.
Kona District Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya reduced bail for 45-year-old Nathan Eugene Cakin to $20,000 after Deputy Public Defender Lezlie Kiaha requested Cakin be freed on supervised release — a form of cashless bail — or that his $50,000 bail be reduced.
Cakin is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm — a loaded JC Higgins .22 caliber rifle.
Conviction on the charge, a Class B felony, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.
Tsuchiya ordered Cakin to appear at 1:30 p.m. today for a preliminary hearing.
Cakin was wanted on a $50,000 bench warrant — unrelated to the firearms incident — for violating his release on bail in a previous case. He reportedly twice failed to show up in Kona Circuit Court for a charge of first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug. It’s alleged he had more than an ounce of methamphetamine, according to the complaint in that case.
The drug charge is a Class A felony that carries a potential 20-year prison sentence, upon conviction.
Police say on Monday they went to Cakin’s home on Aloha Boulevard in Ocean View to serve the arrest warrant at about 9:45 a.m., but Cakin refused to come out of the house and barricaded himself inside.
Cakin is alleged to have threatened to harm himself, adding that officers would have to shoot him. Two women, including Cakin’s 54-year-old girlfriend, confirmed to law enforcers that Cakin had a firearm.
Crisis negotiators attempted to speak with Cakin, but he continued to refuse to come out. The Special Response Team — the department’s SWAT unit — was activated and responded to the scene.
Police said in a statement they also received assistance from and the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Marshal’s Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
Around 3:45 p.m., “tactical measures” were used, police said, and Cakin surrendered and was arrested without further incident.
The standoff closed a portion of Aloha Boulevard for hours.
A search warrant was obtained and executed, and West Hawaii Criminal Investigation Division detectives recovered the rifle and methamphetamine-related paraphernalia from within the house, police said.
Cakin — who has previous convictions for second-degree assault, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, first degree terroristic threatening and auto theft — remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective Donovan Kohara at (808) 960-3118 or donovan.kohara@hawaiicounty.gov. Those who prefer anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
