The man accused of shooting a police officer and a woman with a rifle had abortive hearings on Friday at the Kona District Court.
The man accused of shooting a police officer and a woman with a rifle had abortive hearings on Friday at the Kona District Court.
Macdon Thromman, 37, of Kapaau, appeared in court with deputy public defender Ann Datta to answer a slate of 22 charges related to a standoff with police in North Kohala on Tuesday.
One of the first actions by Datta was to request a Marshalese interpreter for Thromman.
The initial translator communicated over a phone connection that made it difficult for him to hear the judge and attorneys. He was also found to not be a certified translator. Datta objected to the appointment, citing the lack of certification.
Judge Margaret Masanaga agreed the translator was insufficient and reset the hearing to 1 p.m. to allow time for another translator to be found.
The translator, a native of the Marshall Islands, graduate of Brigham Young University-Hawaii and teacher, appeared in person.
During questioning, she said she had served as a translator in more than 10 cases over the last three years. She did not, however, have a certification.
Masanaga said the lack of certification made the interpreter ineffective for court purposes.
The preliminary hearing was set for 1 p.m. Tuesday at the court in North Kohala.