Keaau man faces kidnapping charge in alleged domestic incident
Police have charged a 31-year-old Keaau man with kidnapping and other offenses in connection with a domestic incident that occurred Tuesday evening on Ainaloa Drive in Puna.
At about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, Puna patrol officers were dispatched to Ainaloa Drive after a report of an active domestic taking place within a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. The victim, a woman, yelled for help, stating she was being kidnapped, police said.
According to police, officers spotted the Tacoma turning onto Highway 130 from Ainaloa Drive at a high rate of speed. Officers attempted to stop the truck, but the driver continued aggressively at a high speed, police said.
Due to the driver’s actions and apparent disregard for public safety, officers did not initiate a pursuit.
Officers later found the woman on Ainaloa Drive, and she and witnesses in the area identified Daniel Gray Lewis Jr. as the suspect. Police didn’t specify how the woman got out of the truck.
On Wednesday morning, Lewis was arrested without incident and taken to the Pahoa Police Station while East Hawaii Juvenile Aid Section detectives continued to investigate.
Lewis was charged on Thursday evening with kidnapping, first-degree terroristic threatening, domestic abuse aggravated by strangulation, two counts of domestic abuse, excessive speeding, reckless driving, and resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle.
Lewis also was booked and charged with four outstanding arrest warrants. His bail on the domestic- and traffic-related charges was $74,000.
At his initial court appearance Friday, Lewis entered not guilty pleas to all charges.
William Heflin, Lewis’ court-appointed attorney, requested that bail on the domestic- and traffic-related charges be reduced to $50,000, but Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach denied the motion and ordered Lewis to return to court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
According to court records, the victim on Sept. 15 filed a petition for a temporary restraining order against Lewis. A hearing on the woman’s request is scheduled for Sept. 26.
The most serious charge, kidnapping, is a Class A felony that carries a potential 20-year prison term.
Lewis remains in custody in Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com
