Man in Kahului Barricade Enters Not Guilty Plea

February 22, 2019, 6:44 AM HST
* Updated February 22, 6:47 AM

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By Wendy Osher

A man involved in a barricade situation at the Harbor Lights Condominium complex in Kahului last week, will face a jury trial for multiple charges.

Michael Soriano, 49, entered a not guilty plea in Second Circuit Court to charges that include: seven counts of first degree sex assault; two counts of felony kidnapping; and two counts of abuse of a family or household member.

The alleged crimes occurred between Jan. 19 and Feb. 11, 2019, according to court records.

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A bail hearing is set for next Tuesday, Feb. 26 and a jury trial is set for April 29, 2019.

The charges stem from a situation started at around 11 p.m. on Monday, Feb, 11, when a female reported a male acquaintance had allegedly assaulted her while in her apartment. Police attempted to make contact with Soriano, but say he barricaded himself within and refused to respond to police attempts to communicate.

The following morning on Feb. 12, police negotiators were able to talk Soriano down from the apartment and arrested him in the back parking lot of the complex.

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During the incident a text notification was issued to students at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College campus, which shares a fence-line with the condominium property at the south west corner of the complex. The college temporarily closed the several buildings in the area until an all-clear was given.

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