Allegations of domestic abuse leveled by an ex- girlfriend of former Honolulu City Council Chair Ikaika Anderson were dismissed Tuesday by an Oahu Circuit Court judge.
Judge Shanlyn A.S. Park dismissed with prejudice the misdemeanor charges of abuse of a household member and unlawful imprisonment against Anderson. The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney cannot refile the charges.
Anderson, 45, pleaded not guilty to the charges in June. His accuser failed to appear in court Tuesday morning.
“I was wrongfully accused in this case, and have maintained my innocence throughout it. I am relieved that this assault upon my character and reputation is over, and I look forward to putting it behind me,” Anderson told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in a statement. “I have and will continue to support the health and well-being of my former girlfriend with compassion.”
Anderson’s attorney, Thomas Otake, told the Star-Advertiser his client was always innocent and “should never have been charged in this case to begin with.”
“Any reputational harm is undeserved, and we hope the public will not judge him negatively because he was falsely accused,” Otake said.
A request for a postponement of the case was denied by the judge.
“The case against Mr. Anderson was dismissed with prejudice this morning,” Brooks Baehr, a spokesperson for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, told the Star-Advertiser in a statement. “The state was not able to secure the attendance of a material witness for trial this week. The State requested that the case be continued. The judge denied that request and granted the Defendant’s request to dismiss the case.”
Anderson’s accuser was herself accused of domestic violence in 2020.
On Nov. 8, 2020, she was charged by Hawaii County prosecutors with abuse of family or household members for allegedly assaulting her then-husband. A week later she accused him of domestic abuse.
The case against her eventually was dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors retain the right to refile charges.
Her ex-husband successfully secured a temporary restraining order against her in 2020, which he later dropped in an attempt to reconcile, according to state court records. She obtained a TRO against him in 2021 that was eventually thrown out by the court.
Charges were not filed, and the couple divorced in June 2022.
Anderson served on the Honolulu City Council representing District 3 for 11 years. He also served as Council chair for more than a year until he resigned in 2020 to help care for his grandparents Hannie Anderson and the late state legislator Whitney Anderson.
