$500,000 Cash Only Bail Set for Randall Saito

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

An initial court appearance was held today for escaped mental health patient Randall Saito.  Counsel Michael J. Green made a special appearance on Saito’s behalf, and entered a not guilty plea.

Oʻahu circuit court Judge Collette Y. Garibaldi granted the State of Hawaiʻi’s request that Randall Saito’s bail be set at $500,000 cash only during today’s hearing.

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Doug Chin said that prior to today, Saito could have posted a bond in the amount of $500,000 with only 10% of the bail amount, or $50,000, in cash, but the court’s ruling eliminated that option.

Pending trial, Saito will be held as a pre-trial felon at the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center unless he posts bail. If he were to post the half million dollar bail in cash, he would be sent back to the Hawaiʻi State Hospital where he is accused of escaping from in November.  Either way, he would not be released into the community.

Trial is scheduled for the week of March 19, 2018.

Background:

After leaving the Oʻahu facility on Nov. 12, 2017, Randall Saito reportedly 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.