Attorney General Declines to Prosecute Wong

Pat Wong. File photo courtesy County of Maui

By Wendy Osher

The state Attorney General’s office has declined to prosecute Maui’s Patrick Wong.

Wong has been on administrative leave from his post as head of the Department of the Corporation Counsel since last month following his arrest on March 9 at a home in Wailuku. He was initially charged with abuse of a household member and posted bail.

The case involving Wong was forwarded to the state Department of the Attorney General, to avoid any conflict of interest following an investigation by the Maui Police Department.

“Prosecutorial review is a tremendous responsibility that this Department does not take lightly,” said Krishna F. Jayaram, Special Assistant to the Attorney General in an email communication to Maui Now.

Jayaram explained, “Each case is evaluated on the evidence presented and not the identity of the accused or the accuser. The decision to decline prosecution of Patrick Wong was made after a careful review of all available evidence related to the incident. This included the police reports written by responding/investigating officers, all available body camera footage, photographs, audio recorded statements, and the 911 call generated on the day of the incident.”

Jayaram continued saying, “This review failed to demonstrate that Wong was engaged in an act of domestic violence pursuant to the laws of the State of Hawaiʻi. The Complainant in this case has been apprised and supports the Department’s decision.”

First Deputy Corporation Counsel Edward Kushi has been managing the Department during Wong’s administrative leave.