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Kamehameha faculty member enters plea in alleged sex assault of student

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

James Maeda appeared in court on Feb. 21. The 23-year-old Kamehameha Schools faculty member pleaded not guilty at Circuit Court today to charges of multiple counts of sexual assault involving a high school student.

A 23-year-old Kamehameha Schools faculty member pleaded not guilty in Circuit Court today to multiple counts of sexual assault involving a high school student.

James Maeda, assistant band director at the Kapalama campus, appeared at his arraignment before Judge Colette Garibaldi after an Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Thursday, Feb. 22, charging him with 10 counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of third-degree sexual assault.

His attorney, Richard Sing, pleaded not guilty to all counts on his behalf.

Maeda’s trial is set for April. He remains free after posting $450,000 bail.

The sexual assaults allegedly occurred on four occasions between June 9 and Feb. 14.

The teen’s mother had discovered sex-related text messages on her cell phone when the teen disclosed her relationship with Maeda, according to prosecutors.

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