Inmate Pleads Guilty to Assault of a Correctional Officer and Promotion of Prison Contraband

Inmate Lopaka Mahaulu pleaded guilty to two criminal counts including Assault in the Second Degree involving a Corrections Officer and Promotion of Prison Contraband.

On September 6, 2021, a Waiawa Correctional Facility (WCF) adult corrections officer (ACO) heard a noise coming from one of the housing dorms. The corrections officer witnessed Mahaulu in possession of a contraband cell phone. The corrections officer attempted to recover the phone, but Mahaulu assaulted the ACO, ran outside the building and threw the phone over the perimeter fence.

The Department of Public Safety’s (PSD) Narcotics Enforcement Division (NED) was called in to investigate. The phone was recovered with the assistance of the Department of the Attorney General and WCF’s Warden and Chief of Security.

“We appreciate the collaborative work between the Department of the Attorney General and Public Safety’s Corrections and Narcotics Enforcement Divisions, which resulted in obtaining this guilty plea. Anyone who breaks the law should know that their actions will be investigated, and they will be prosecuted for their crimes,” said Max Otani, PSD Director.

Mahaulu is facing a mandatory five-year prison sentence.