Kona, Hawaiʻi – A Kona grand jury has indicted Weston Duarte, 28, on 26 offenses, including three counts of Class A felony Sexual Assault in the First Degree and one count of Class A felony Kidnapping. The charges are related to a series of sexual assault and domestic violence incidents that allegedly occurred between January and July 2025.
According to Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen, the felony investigation was led by Investigator Henry Ivy from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, with assistance from the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s Kona Patrol and Area II Juvenile Aid and Criminal Investigations Divisions.
The full list of charges includes:
- Three counts of Class A felony Sexual Assault in the First Degree (carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison).
- One count of Class A felony Kidnapping.
- One count of Class B felony Promoting a Dangerous Drug in the Second Degree (maximum 10-year prison term).
- One count of Class B felony Obstruction of Justice.
- Three counts of Class C felony Abuse of Family or Household Member (maximum 5-year prison term).
- Multiple other Class C felonies, misdemeanors, and petty misdemeanors for offenses including drug possession, intimidating a witness, terroristic threatening, and various traffic violations.
This case stemmed from an incident on July 10, 2025, when a victim sought police assistance. This led to Duarte fleeing from police and crashing a vehicle. He was subsequently flown to Oʻahu for medical care and was arrested on a warrant for a parole violation.
Duarte remains in custody at Halawa State Prison on the pending parole violation. A $350,000 bench warrant has been issued upon the indictment.
The charges are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.