University of Hawaii football player Kennedy Tulimasealii plans to plead no contest to all the criminal charges against him, his lawyer Michael Green said Thursday.
Tulimasealii waived a preliminary hearing on a felony criminal property damage charge against him in Honolulu District Court this afternoon, which sends the case to state Circuit Court for trial. His arraignment is scheduled for June 9.
Deputy Prosecutor Moanikeala Crowell said the state was prepared to present its case in a preliminary hearing on the property damage complaint. The state subpoenaed four witnesses, and submitted a 20-page police report and two compact discs containing photos and audio testimony.
“We are prepared to proceed forward within complete compliance of the laws and statutes,” Crowell told District Judge Clarence Pacarro.
Tulimasealii is accused of destroying a navigational system on the dashboard of a car owned by his ex-girlfriend’s father. It is a Class C felony because damages in the April 1 incident exceeded $1,500. A Class C conviction is punishable up to five years in prison and/or a monetary fine.
Tulimasealii remains on suspension from UH-football-related activities because of an April 12 incident in which he was charged with two counts of assault, and one count each of resisting arrest and harassment. The assault and resisting arrest charges are misdemeanors; harassment is a petty misdemeanor. A hearing on that case, which stemmed from a dispute with his ex-girlfriend, is scheduled for June 26 in Circuit Court.
Green said he will ask to have all of the cases heard on June 26, “before the administrative judge and try to work out a disposition that is satisfactory to everyone so we can get him back on course with his life.” If the judge grants his request, Green says Tulimasealii plans to plead no contest to all of the charges and will ask the judge for a deferral. A deferral will give Tulimasealii the opportunity to avoid conviction and have the charges cleared from his criminal record if he stays out of trouble for a specified period of time.
“I want him treated like any other person charged with a crime,” Green said. “I don’t want him being treated special because he’s an athlete. That’s a two-edged sword. Why would a lawyer say that? I don’t want him to be punished any greater than someone who’s never been convicted of a crime. I want him to be treated the same way. My sense is that will be done.”
While on suspension, Tulimasealii remains on football scholarship and is permitted to attend classes and the athletic department’s study hall. Tulimasealii said he is enrolled in UH’s Summer Session I, which began Monday.
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Star-Advertiser reporter Nelson Daranciang contributed to this report.
