A 22-year-old Waianae man entered a plea of not guilty in federal court Friday to a single count of being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with an April 9 road rage incident in Ko Olina.
Sheysten James Ikaika Joseph, 22, was the passenger in a car driven by Seth Zachary Owens, 22, who allegedly pointed a ghost gun at a woman and her three children. Joseph was indicted Thursday and entered a not guilty plea Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter.
His trial is set for Aug. 14 at 9 a.m. in U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi’s court.
Owens was indicted May 25 on suspicion of being a felon in possession of ammunition and is being held at the Federal Detention Center, Honolulu, before his trial starts at 9 a.m. July 24 before U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi.
The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking criminal forfeiture of a “glock-style privately-manufactured firearm,” commonly referred to as a “ghost gun”, and 30 rounds of 9mm caliber ammunition, according to the indictment.
Assistant U.S Attorney Michael F. Albanese, who is prosecuting the case, declined comment. Joseph’s attorney, Rustam A. Barbee, did not immediately reply to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request for comment.
Arrested with Joseph was Brenon Kilinoe Joseph Nash, 32. Nash is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm after federal agents allegedly found two guns, cannabis and a pound of methamphetamine in a car registered to Nash.
On Wednesday, Nash’s preliminary hearing was continued until Aug. 21 and he will remain in custody.
Joseph and Nash are on state probation in connection with a Nov. 20, 2019, melee that led to the deadly shooting of 39-year-old Micaiah McCullah, a father of seven and a youth football coach, who was killed during the brawl.
They were originally charged with second-degree attempted murder for allegedly firing handguns at another man during the early-evening scrap at the park on Manuku Street.
On May 17, Joseph was convicted of first-degree assault and place to keep pistol or revolver, and sentenced to five years of probation on each count. Nash is also on five years of probation after he was convicted in the same state case of attempted first-degree assault and place to keep a pistol or revolver.
Nash and Joseph were part of a group of 10 to 20 men who came to a park for a prearranged fight at the park’s basketball court, according to state court records.
A man and other witnesses told police that Nash and Joseph fired their revolver-type handguns at the man, according to state court documents. McCullah suffered gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The DEA and Homeland Security Investigations are working with Honolulu police on an ongoing investigation into a drug trafficking organization that resulted in the execution of search warrants in April at the home and affiliated businesses of a Waianae family that is one of the targets of the investigation.
DEA agents working with Honolulu police arrested Joseph and Nash and HSI agents arrested Owens.
