Police responded to Hilo Medical Center on the morning of April 10 for a report of a 75-year-old woman who said she had been in an altercation in the early morning hours in the parking lot of a sports bar in the 300 block of Hualani Street in Hilo. A subsequent police investigation revealed that a male party struck her face repeatedly in the parking lot area.
The woman was hospitalized at Hilo Medical Center with facial fractures and multiple other injuries as a result of the attack. The suspect, identified by police as Zachary Babosh, fled the island and traveled to Oahu before he could be arrested.
Hawai‘i Island police obtained an arrest warrant for Babosh and collaborated with the United States Marshals Service and Honolulu Police Department after developing information that Babosh was possibly staying in the Waikiki area on Oahu. Babosh was located at a hotel on Kanekapolei Street in Honolulu, where he was taken into police custody.
Today, Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen announced that 37-year-old Zachary Babosh, was charged for an assault arising out of an early morning incident on April 10th at the Hale Inu Sports Bar, located within the Waiakea Villas, that resulted in the hospitalization of a 75-year-old woman.
As the Complaint alleges, Babosh, a repeat offender, who is currently on felony probation, is charged with Assault in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree. The State has also identified Babosh as an offender against the elderly, given the facts and circumstances of the allegations. Babosh remains in custody in lieu of $100,000.00 bail. He is scheduled to make his initial appearance on Thursday in Hilo District Court. The lead investigator is Officer Lisa Ebesugawa of the South Hilo Patrol, Hawai‘i Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Suzanna Tiapula.
The charges are merely allegations, and Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“Today’s charges reflect the results of a collaborative effort by Hawai‘i State Law Enforcement and our joint commitment to serve and protect our communities and hold offenders who victimize our kupuna accountable for their actions. Mahalo to the Hawai‘i Police Department’s South Hilo Patrol and Area I Criminal Investigation Section for conducting the investigation and obtaining the suspect’s warrant of arrest. Special thanks to the Honolulu Police Department’s Crime Reduction Unit, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance in the suspect’s apprehension, and the Hawai‘i County Prosecutors Investigators Unit for the coordination of the suspect’s transport back to Hawai’i Island,” said Prosecuting Attorney Waltjen.
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney remains dedicated to the pursuit of justice with integrity and commitment. Anyone having information to assist local law enforcement should call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 in East Hawai‘i or (808) 329-8181 in West Hawai‘i.