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Attempted child sexual assault (update No. 3) 09-22-11

HawaiĘ»i Police Department                                               
Criminal Investigation Division                                                     
Captain Randall Medeiros
Telephone:  961-2251
September 22, 2011
C11024668

Media Release

Police released the suspect arrested on Tuesday (September 20) in connection with a reported attempted kidnapping and attempted sexual assault on that day.  Samson Perez, also known as Samson Kahumoku was released from police custody after detectives conferred with county prosecutors.

On Tuesday, police received a report of a female child being in a confrontation with an adult male within a restroom on the campus of a public school in Hilo.  The child managed to escape from the man, who was last seen on KapiĘ»olani Street heading in the direction of Haili Street around 6:30 a.m.  Responding officer took the suspect into custody a few hours later, locating him on Aupuni Street in Hilo.

As part of the conferral process with prosecutors, taken into account was all the information uncovered during the investigation coupled with the child’s ability to proceed with prosecution at this point in time.  Within a week, the victim would be required to testify in open court, with the suspect present and be exposed to cross examination by a defense attorney.  Speaking in general terms, cases involving child victims of such traumatic events often take longer to adjudicate due to concerns about what is in the best interest of the child victim.  While the public’s safety is always a consideration, the ability of the child to testify without inflicting additional trauma on him or her weighs heavily during the decision making process.  
 
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective Daylan Asuncion of the Juvenile Aid Section at (808) 961-8843.  Individuals wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.  All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.