Randall Saito Extradited Back to Hawai‘i

Randall Toshio Saito booking photo courtesy: San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office

Hawaiʻi State Hospital escapee Randall Saito arrived in Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 10, 2018, aboard a non-commercial flight in the custody of federal marshals.

He was extradited back to Hawaiʻi on a flight arranged by the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General.

Saito will now face felony escape charges for leaving the Hawaiʻi State Hospital on Nov. 12, 2017.

He is being held as a pre-trial felon at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center unless he posts the half million dollar bail or bond set on the escape charge. If he does  post bail, he will be sent back to the Hawaiʻi State Hospital. Either way, Saito will not be released into the community.

Separate administrative and criminal investigations of the circumstances related to the escape are ongoing.  After leaving the Oʻahu facility on Nov. 12, 2017, Randall Saito caught a flight to Maui and then boarded a Hawaiian Airlines plane to San Jose–all before authorities were notified he was missing.  San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Randall Saito two days later on Nov. 15, 2017.

Saito has been described as a “psychopathic killer” and  “sexual predator.” His past includes the acquittal of murder by reason of insanity for the 1979 killing of Sandra Yamashiro.

On another note, state lawmakers will hold a joint informational briefing tomorrow to update the public and legislators on the recent developments at the Hawaiʻi State Hospital.

The briefing comes after Saito’s high-profile escape. Less than two months later, on Jan. 8, 2018 the State Department of Health announced that the hospital qualified for re-accreditation for another three years.

Statements will be made by representatives with the State Department of the Attorney General, as well as the State Department of Health, who will be providing updates regarding its Security Action Plan, updates on their new facility, updates on hospital accreditation, rebuilding adult community mental health and policy opportunities.