A jury found a Kona man, 45 year-old Joshua Masuda-Mercado, guilty of Continuous Sexual Assault of a Minor Under the Age of Fourteen Years and Attempted Sexual Assault in the First Degree yesterday in Kona Circuit Court.
According to Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen, the case stemmed from a string of incidents that occurred between November 2014 and August 2018 and a separate incident on July 2, 2019. After the jury’s verdict was received, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chase Murray argued that bail be set and that Masuda-Mercado, who had been previously granted supervised release over Prosecutors’ objections, be taken into custody. The Court set bail at $150,000.00 and ordered Masuda-Mercado to return to court for sentencing on December 9, 2022.
Both Continuous Sexual Assault of a Minor and Attempted Sexual Assault in the First Degree are class A felony offenses which carry a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years in prison and also requires registering as a sex offender.
Masuda-Mercado was originally charged via grand jury indictment in August of 2020. The $100,000.00 indictment warrant remained outstanding and was unserved for ten (10) months. In June of 2021, Masuda-Mercado was located in Tennessee and Hawai‘i County Prosecutor’s Investigators later coordinated his extradition back to Hawai‘i to face the felony charges.
The case was initiated by Officer Jason Miyashiro, Kona Patrol, and the felony investigation was handled by Acting Lieutenant Sharlotte Bird, Area II Juvenile Aid Section, Hawai‘i Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chase Murray.
“Justice prevailed yesterday,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen. “We thank the jury for their service. We hope that this conviction provides the victim and her family some sense of justice and comfort. This verdict is the result of the hard work of police and prosecutors and sends a clear message that we will not tolerate the victimization of our keiki.”