Trial set for man accused of gun threat

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Trial has been set for a 45-year-old Pahoa man accused of threatening two men and a boy with a semi-automatic pistol.

Trial has been set for a 45-year-old Pahoa man accused of threatening two men and a boy with a semi-automatic pistol.

Steven H. Kaio pleaded not guilty Friday to first-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree commercial promotion of marijuana, possessing drug paraphernalia and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Third Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura ordered him to appear for trial 9 a.m. Aug. 4.

According to court documents, on April 27, 2013, Kaio threatened the two men, both relatives, and the boy, then 17, in the garage of an Orchidland home where Kaio and the relatives live.

Kaio left, then returned with a semi-automatic pistol and threatened to kill one of the men.

Police later served a search warrant on the property and reportedly found two marijuana patches with 247 plants, a deputy prosecutor said last year.

The marijuana charge carries a possible 20-year prison sentence while being a felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by 10 years.

Kaio is in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $70,000 bail.