Today, Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen announced that a Mountain View man, 42 year-old Elijah Stutes, was arrested and charged this past weekend as a part of Operation Keiki Shield (“OKS”) in Hilo. Stutes was charged with Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree and Resisting Arrest.
Stutes is scheduled to make his initial appearance in Hilo District Court on Monday afternoon. He remains in custody in lieu of $53,000.00 bail.
Electronic Enticement of a Child in the First Degree is a Class B felony offense which carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Resisting Arrest is a misdemeanor offense which carries a maximum penalty of a one-year jail term.
The charges are merely allegations, and the Defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
OKS is a collaborative law enforcement initiative focused on identifying and arresting offenders who commit internet-facilitated sex crimes against minors and rescuing victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The OKS Task Force included members of numerous law enforcement agencies, including the Hawai‘i Police Department (“HPD”), Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Department of the Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children’s (“ICAC”) Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Secret Service, Honolulu Police Department, and the Maui Police Department. The operation was coordinated by Lieutenant Robert Pauole. HPD officers from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section, Crime Reduction Unit, Community Policing, and Vice Unit and the Area II Juvenile Aid Section also assisted in the operation.
This investigation was handled by Detective Richard Itliong of the Area I Juvenile Aid Section, Hawai‘i Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Patrick Muñoz and Woodrow Pengelly, Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
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 or who are aware of any Internet activity that may be dangerous to children should call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
