Suspect: Fondling incident ‘a joke’

By LILA FUJIMOTO, Staff Writer
WAILUKU — A man arrested on suspicion of fondling an 11-year-old boy at a Lahaina beach last week told a police officer he had touched the boy but said it was a “joke,” the officer testified Tuesday.

Questioned shortly after the incident was reported, 38-year-old Shibby Dakanno said he knew the boy and approached him to shake his hand but instead sexually touched the boy, said Lahaina patrol officer Kristopher Galon.

“He felt it was just a joke,” Galon testified during a preliminary hearing for Dakanno.

Judge Mimi DesJardins found there was probable cause for a third-degree sexual assault charge against Dakanno.

He was arrested April 28 after the boy’s mother called police before 6 p.m.

The mother said she had been at Baby Beach with her son and two of his school friends. Her back was turned, as she waited for another boy to get out of the water, she said, so she didn’t see what happened.

Lahaina resident Paula Hemaloto, who was at the beach with about 10 people including Dakanno, said he had seen the boy get out of the water with his dog before Dakanno went up to the boy.

“I thought he was going to pet the dog,” Hemaloto said. Instead, he said, he saw Dakanno improperly touch the boy over his clothing.

The boy told his mother what happened a few minutes later when they got home, she said.

When Galon showed up at the beach at 5:51 p.m., Hemaloto said he knew why the police officer was there and pointed out Dakanno.

In addition to talking to the officer, Dakanno wrote a statement, which Galon read in court.

“He just came out of the water and I want to shake his hand, so I just give him a joke

. . . ,” the statement said. “I really know this boy. He is my friend.”

Although a Pohnpeian interpreter was present in court Tuesday, Galon said Dakanno answered questions and told the officer he could understand English.

Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Martin asked that Dakanno’s bail be increased “not only due to the serious nature of the charges, but also the fact that the defendant is not a citizen of the U.S.”

With “absolutely no contacts” on Maui, Dakanno is a flight risk, Martin said.

DesJardins kept bail at $5,000 pending Dakanno’s arraignment Tuesday in 2nd Circuit Court.

“He’s unemployed. He’s homeless. He doesn’t have any relatives on Maui,” DesJardins said. “Five thousand dollars would be adequate to ensure the safety of the community.”

Dakanno is being held at the Maui Community Correctional Center.

• Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.