A 31-year-old Keaau man thought he was meeting a female friend for drink to celebrate his birthday early Sunday morning.
Instead, the woman and her boyfriend robbed the man, abducted him and stranded him at a remote hunters’ station after being threatened and beaten by the boyfriend, according to court documents filed by police.
The victim told police he met 30-year-old Jackie Napuaokalani Carter at Joann’s Lounge on Kanoelehua Avenue in Hilo after receiving a text message from Carter requesting he meet her for a birthday drink.
Carter met the man outside the bar and both got into the back seat of her vehicle.
The man reportedly told officers Carter hit the child safety lock, and he couldn’t open his door to get out. The victim told police Carter’s boyfriend, 32-year-old Nathan Pedro, opened the rear door, got into the back seat and punched the victim in the face, saying “Where’s my s**t?”
The victim told officers Pedro ordered Carter to go through the victim’s pockets, and she removed his wallet, his car-key lanyard and iPhone. According to the documents, Pedro then went to the victim’s vehicle, entered it and rummaged through the interior before puncturing all four tires.
Pedro allegedly then got into the driver’s seat of Carter’s automobile, and Carter got into the front passenger seat. Pedro then drove around town, allegedly holding the victim against his will and making threats toward him and, at one point, reaching back with a torch-style lighter trying to burn the victim, the documents state.
The victim alleged that when Pedro arrived at the hunters’ check-in parking lot at the intersection of North Kulani Road and Stainback Highway, Pedro drew a black handgun from the car’s front-seat console, pointed it at the victim, cocked it, then said, “You’re lucky.”
Pedro then allegedly removed the victim forcibly from the vehicle, physically assaulted him with a police-like collapsible baton, and threatened him with a firearm.
Pedro and Carter then left the area, leaving the injured man there. Police found him at about 6:30 a.m. collapsed on the roadway at the intersection of Highway 11 and Mamaki Street.
He was treated and released at Hilo Medical Center.
Carter and Pedro were later arrested without incident in Waimea.
According to police, the search of Pedro’s vehicle turned up almost 45 grams of fentanyl powder, 137 fentanyl pills, more than an ounce of methamphetamine, more than an ounce of cocaine, plus drug paraphernalia and more than $1,900 in cash.
Pedro was charged Tuesday with kidnapping; fourth-degree criminal property damage; first-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle; second-degree theft; second-degree assault; second-degree robbery; first-degree terroristic threatening; eight counts of first-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug; three counts of third degree promotion of a dangerous drug; three counts of fourth-degree promotion of a harmful drug; and three counts of marijuana possession.
His bail was set at $1.165 million.
Carter was charged with kidnapping, second-degree robbery and second-degree theft.
Her bail was set at $110,000.
Both made their initial appearances Wednesday in Hilo District Court.
Judge Kanani Laubach maintained both defendants’ bail at the levels set by prosecutors. She ordered both to return for preliminary hearings — Carter on April 1 and Pedro on April 2.
Police say that during their investigation, a search warrant was executed on a room Pedro and Carter had rented at a resort on Waikoloa Beach Drive. The warrant led to the recovery of about a pound of methamphetamine, un-serialized firearm parts, miscellaneous ammunition and almost $5,000 in cash.
Additional charges stemming from the recovery of the items from the hotel room are pending and will be forwarded to prosecutors for further action.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.