HomeMy WebLinkAboutNR072617KauaimansentencedinMonkSealharassmentcase1
C OU NT Y O F KAU A‘I
BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.
Mayor
WALLACE REZENTES JR.
Managing Director
OFFICE OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
News Release
For Immediate Release: July 26, 2017
JUSTIN KOLLAR, PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
Tel (808) 241-1888
Fax (808) 241-1758
Kaua‘i man sentenced in monk seal harassment case
Līhu‘e – Prosecuting Attorney Justin F. Kollar announced that Shylo Kaena Akuna, 20, of
Līhu‘e, was today sentenced to serve a prison sentence for his harassment of a Hawaiian monk
seal at Salt Pond Beach Park in Hanapēpē on April of 2016.
The Honorable Kathleen N.A. Watanabe handed down the four-year prison sentence in
the Fifth Circuit Court after hearing arguments from Prosecuting Attorney Justin F. Kollar and
defense counsel Mark Zenger, Esq.
A video recorded by bystanders to the incident showed Akuna aggressively harassing a
Hawaiian monk seal at the beach park on April 26 of last year; that video went viral on social
media and was brought to the attention of law enforcement. Akuna was apparently highly
intoxicated at the time.
“Animal abuse is often a precursor to other types of violence and cannot be tolerated in
our community. We thank our public safety partners at DLNR and NOAA for their efforts in
bringing this case to a successful resolution, especially DOCARE Officers Warren Tavares and
Kalani Addington as well as NOAA Special Agent Brandon Jim On,” Kollar stated.
“Our natural environment is crucial to us in Hawai‘i; this includes respect for our
endangered species. To the best of our knowledge this is the first conviction under the felony
monk seal harassment statute and we are satisfied that the sentence was appropriate and will
serve to protect the community from this defendant.”
Court records show that Akuna was also sentenced on June 23, 2017, to serve one year
in jail for the unrelated theft and slaughter of a goat from a pasture on Kaua‘i’s west side in
January of last year.
Akuna still faces charges regarding another unrelated case involving an alleged burglary
of a room at the Po‘ipū Grand Hyatt hotel in March of this year.
Shylo Kaena Akuna, 20, of Līhu‘e
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