KEALAKEKUA — The jury trial date has been continued for a 17-year-old suspect accused in a 2016 alleged rape at Old Kona Airport Park.
Tuesday morning, 3rd Circuit Court Judge Robert D.S. Kim granted the defense counsel’s motion to continue the case of Tyron Sigrah. Deputy Prosecutor Sheri Lawson submitted a motion to set a firm trial date.
Kim granted Lawson’s request, setting the firm trial date for Aug. 21.
Prosecutors filed multiple charges of sexual assault against Sigrah in November after a Family Court judge granted a waiver of jurisdiction to adult court. In November, a District Court judge found there was probable cause during a preliminary hearing to continue the teen’s case to Circuit Court.
Sigrah was taken into custody on $50,000 bail. However, a District Court judge reduced it to $25,000. He has since bailed out but is required to check in with the Hawaii Intake Services Center.
The charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred on Sept. 3, 2016. The Hawaii Police Department said two boys approached a woman, punched and sexually assaulted her. Police added the boys reportedly fled when confronted by an unidentified person.
Samuel Latrik, 18, was arrested on Jan. 18 as a second suspect in the alleged rape. He is currently in custody on $50,000 bail.
Latrik also faces three counts of first-degree sexual assault, second-degree assault, kidnapping, second-degree robbery, third-degree sexual assault and first-degree attempted sexual assault.
Despite Latrik being an adult, the alleged crime occurred when he was a juvenile. Because of that, the case had to first be heard in Family Court where the judge eventually decided to waive jurisdiction to adult court.
On Friday, Lawson also filed a motion to consolidate the cases of Sigrah and Latrik. According to her motion, both defendants’ cases/charges are “part of a common scheme or plan, and are intricately intertwined and connected in time, place, and occasion. Based on the evidence it would be difficult to separate proof of one charge from proof the others.”
Sigrah’s defense counsel Wendy DeWeese filed a motion in opposition to the consolidation, arguing that such a move would deny Sigrah a fair trial.
A hearing on the consolidation of cases is set for Feb. 15.
Latrik is set to appear in court for a bail hearing on Thursday.
