LIHUE — Kauai County prosecutors on Tuesday brought charges against Jeffrey Kelekoma, Jr. of Kapaa for what appears to be a series of alleged physical and verbal assaults that took place in May, with the exception of a single unlawful imprisonment charge dating to April 15.
In the criminal complaint, prosecutors say Kelekoma, 37, abused a female household member by “impeding the normal breathing or circulation” of the victim “by applying pressure on her throat or neck,” on several different dates throughout the month.
The alleged strangling incidents make up four of the six class C felonies Kelekoma is charged with. The remaining two felony counts — second-degree assaults — stem from altercations in which Kelekoma allegedly began abusing the woman with his tools.
Kelekoma hit the woman with a hammer on May 25, according to prosecutors, and two days later, started in on her with his weed whacker, according to prosecutors.
All told, Kelekoma is charged with a half-dozen class C felonies, each of which carry up to five years in jail.
He faces another five misdemeanor counts, all related to allegations that he beat and terrorized the same woman.
Kelekoma has spent the better part of the past year in and out of court to face charges almost exclusively related to assault or physical abuse.
He allegedly abused and threatened the same woman in March 2018 and again in November of 2018.
In December 2017, he allegedly abused another woman in his home. That case is still pending. Last month, a Fifth Circuit judge gave the victim in Kelekoma’s most recent case a 25-year restraining order against him.
Source: The Garden Island
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