Police Officer Troy Anthony Taman Manahane is escorted by Corrections officers at the local courthouse on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 9, 2024.
AFTER hearing the testimony of a police sergeant, Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho found probable cause to charge suspended Police Officer Troy Manahane with disturbing the peace.
Last week, Judge Camacho found no probable cause to charge Manahane with assault with a dangerous weapon.
Manahane is accused of pointing and using his service firearm to assault a suspect in a domestic incident on Jan. 21, 2024.
Judge Camacho also modified Manahane’s bail conditions.
Previously, the court released Manahane to a third-party custodian, his mother, and placed him under house arrest after posting 10% of a $10,000 bail.
As Manahane is now charged with a misdemeanor, Judge Camacho said the defendant is no longer under house arrest and is no longer required to be with his third-party custodian at all times.
The judge instead imposed a curfew from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. without a custodian.
In his testimony, Police Sgt. Jeffrey Norita told the court that the other police officer who responded to the domestic incident on Jan. 21, Keanu Hosono, was interviewed by investigators three times.
In the first interview Hosono claimed that he heard Sheldon Kainoa say, “put away the gun,” but he did not see a gun being held by Manahane.
Kainoa was the suspect in the domestic incident.
In the third interview, Hosono claimed he heard Kainoa say, “put away the gun” three times, as Kainoa had claimed, and he, Hosono, also saw a gun in Manahane’s hand.
Norita admitted that he did not disclose Hosono’s prior interviews and inconsistent statements in his declaration of probable cause to the judge.
Norita also testified that Kainoa told him that Manahane asked, “What would you do if my partner shot you?”
According to Norita, Kainoa did not claim that Manahane had asked, “What would you do if I shot you?” which was a threat.
Manahane is represented by attorney Robert T. Torres while Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds appeared for the government.
Manahane will return to court for an arraignment on Nov. 18 at 9 a.m.
Initially, Manahane, 26, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, and disturbing the peace.
According to the complaint against Manahane, he responded to a domestic incident on Jan. 21, 2024 in Susupe with another police officer, Keanu Hosono.
The suspect, Sheldon Kainoa, told police that he had a verbal dispute with his girlfriend and did not want their argument to escalate and chose to leave their apartment until his girlfriend calmed down.
He said he was standing outside the apartment when he saw a police car rushing and pulling up to the parking lot. To evade the officers, Kainoa said he ran to the second floor and jumped out of a window.
Later, Kainoa was apprehended by Hosono and was instructed to sit. Manahane then approached Kainoa and instructed him to discard a pen he was holding and told him to get in the back seat of the marked police car.
Kainoa stated that he was in the back seat when he saw Manahane unbuckling his police belt and brandishing a gun.
Kainoa said Manahane pointed the gun at him and asked, “What would you do if my partner shot you?”
When interviewed by an internal affairs investigator, Manahane denied threatening Kainoa with his gun.
Hosono, for his part, said he didn’t mention that Manahane pointed a gun at a civilian because it “freaked” him out.
Hosono said he also feared being labeled a snitch and ridiculed by other officers for reporting a misconduct.
