Michael Olaitiman looks aside to avoid reporters as he walks out of a courtroom after a bail hearing on Thursday.
MICHAEL Olaitiman, who was arrested after a police manhunt, was charged with assault and battery, assault with a dangerous weapon, child abuse, disturbing the peace and domestic violence.
Olaitiman, 43, appeared in the custody of the Department of Corrections before Superior Court Associate Judge Lillian A. Tenorio for a bail hearing on Thursday.
He was represented by Chief Public Defender Douglas Hartig while Assistant Attorney General Heather Barcinas appeared for the Commonwealth government.
Barcinas requested the court to maintain the $50,000 cash bail set by Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho, who issued an arrest warrant for Olaitiman. Barcinas also asked the court to order the defendant not to have any contact with the victims in the case.
She said, “There was an active order of protection against Olaitiman, [but] the defendant continued to violate the order of protection repeatedly. The defendant [also] has active bench warrants for traffic cases and has a criminal history. He is a danger to the community.”
Barcinas added that in his latest case, “when police arrived at the apartment, he fled the scene.”
Judge Tenorio maintained the $50,000 bail and issued a no-contact order for the victim and her two minor children.
Olaitiman was remanded to the custody of Corrections and was ordered to return to court for a preliminary hearing on July 17 at 9 a.m., and an arraignment on July 22 at 9 a.m.
Background
On Jan. 3, 2024, Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio signed an order of protection against Olaitiman (FCD Civil Action 0527) that is set to expire on Jan. 3, 2025. The order states that Olaitiman shall not molest, attack, strike, threaten, sexually assault, batter, telephone or disturb the peace of mind of the victim and her two minor children.
According to the complaint against Olaitiman, the victim called the police on June 27 requesting that they remove Olaitiman from her apartment. She said Olaitiman was at the apartment with their son and that she let him into the house because she was afraid, adding that he threatened to kill her and hurt their son.
When police arrived at the apartment, they were unable to find Olaitiman. A minor child told police that Olaitiman jumped off the balcony.
The victim said on June 15, Olaitiman sent her two messages, one was a picture of their niece, and the other was a picture of their son, saying that if she did not let him in, he would hurt both children.
Another message from Olaitiman stated, “If I have to find a way in there, I will kill you in front of the kids.”
She said she opened the door shortly after. She said when she let him in, he grabbed her cell phone, which was on the kitchen counter, threw it on the floor, and used a metal object that looked like a hammer to hit the cell phone repeatedly until it broke.
On Father’s Day, June 16, the victim said Olaitiman slept almost the whole day and woke up between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. When he got up, he was “not in the mood” and started arguing with her. He accused her of being with or talking to someone new, which she denied. She said Olaitiman became angry and placed a knife against her neck. After telling him that she was telling the truth, Olaitiman put the knife away.
On June 24, the victim told police that she and Olaitiman were arguing once again, and that he was trying to hit her, but “the kids were watching.”
She said he still punched her in the stomach once and instructed her to go into the bedroom.
As she walked past him, the victim said Olaitiman kicked her back. She said when she entered the bedroom Olaitiman followed her. She said he then charged at her in an aggressive way so she moved back.
Olaitiman grabbed a big chunk of her skin on the left side of her stomach and twisted it, the victim said.
At this point, their minor son barged into the bedroom crying and yelling at Olaitiman, “Stop hurting my mom!”
Olaitiman got angry and yelled at the boy. “What if I just punch you in the face?” Olaitiman asked as he walked toward the boy and put both his hands around the child’s neck. The boy had a hard time breathing for about three seconds, the victim said.
The victim told police that Olaitiman was at her apartment for almost two weeks. She does not know why he was so angry. She felt that he just wanted to hurt her.
The victim said she feared Olaitiman the entire time he was in her home. She was paralyzed with fear and felt like she and her children were being held hostage.
On the day of the incident that she reported to the police, the victim said she was asleep on the living room couch when she felt a heavy slap on the right side of her face.
She said Olaitiman told her, “If you can do your dog s**t then you can go find me money.”
The victim said that was the only time she was allowed to go outside, so she took her daughter with her for a walk. They headed to the bus stop in front of their apartment and then ran to her parent’s house where she called 911.
Later, the investigator who was interviewing the victim observed some scars and light bruising on her right arm which she said bled after Olaitiman grabbed her and dug his fingernail into her skin.
She also had some bruising on the left side of her stomach where she said Olaitiman grabbed a chunk of her skin and twisted it. In addition, there was a small scratch on the lower part of her eye, police said.
On the day the incident was reported, police likewise observed redness on the right side of the victim’s face.
