Kohala man charged for Kona stabbing
A 21-year-old North Kohala man is facing a felony assault charge stemming from an altercation earlier this month at a Kailua-Kona business.
Around 1 a.m. Aug. 13, Kona patrol officers responded to a report of a possible stabbing at a bar in the 75-5000 block of Alii Drive. Officers located the victim, an adult male employee of the establishment, and observed him to have a puncture-type stab wound to his abdomen. The victim confirmed being stabbed by an unknown younger male who had been denied entry into the establishment for providing false identification.
The victim was treated by medics at the scene, transported to Kona Community Hospital for further treatment, and later released.
Further investigation determined that Gabriel E. Mendoza was the person responsible for the stabbing. On Wednesday, police located Mendoza and arrested him without incident.
He was later charged with first-degree assault and bail was set at $25,000. He made his initial appearance in Kona District Court on Friday where Judge Kimberly Taniyama reduced bail to $5,000 after the defense requested supervised release for Mendoza to which the state objected.
A preliminary hearing, during which prosecutors work to show they have probable cause to support the charge, got underway on Monday with witnesses and police officers testifying. The hearing was continued to Sept. 15 with one witness left to testify.
