Man gets 10 years for sexual assault

A 42-year-old convicted sex offender was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a man who was visiting Hawaii last month. Ernest Roy Moniz Jr. pleaded no contest to second-degree sexual assault in a plea deal to avoid facing five counts of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of third-degree sexual assault, and kidnapping.

Moniz sexually assaulted the man in a Lihue hotel on the morning of June 7 after meeting the man at Kukui Grove Shopping Center, according to a Kauai County news release.

Moniz offered the man a ride back to the man’s hotel room, where he forced him to perform various sex acts, the release said. The man later escaped and reported the assault to Kauai police.

Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe sentenced Moniz on Wednesday to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and ordered him to begin serving his sentence immediately.

"Vigorously prosecuting sex offenses is one of our office’s top priorities," Prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho said in a statement. "Because of our team’s experience and expertise in handling these sensitive cases, we were able to secure a conviction in record time."

Moniz was convicted in 1995 of sexually assaulting minors on Kauai and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Kahoolawe waters open

Waters within two miles of Kahoolawe will be open to trolling on the second and fourth weekends of July, the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission announced. Vessels must be registered with the commission and file a catch report. A $25 permit fee applies. To register, contact Dean Tokishi at 243-5889 or dtokishi@kirc.hawaii.gov, or visit kahoolawe.hawaii.gov.