A Lihu`e man was sentenced Monday to 25 years in jail for preying sexually upon children. Melanio Tallano, 31, was convicted on multiple sexual assault counts stemming from incidents involving two young girls. The first charge stemmed from incidents in
A Lihu`e man was sentenced Monday to 25 years in jail for preying sexually upon
children.
Melanio Tallano, 31, was convicted on multiple sexual assault
counts stemming from incidents involving two young girls.
The first charge
stemmed from incidents in late 1999 when, according to Kaua`i County deputy
prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho, “the defendant lured a 12-year-old female
acquaintance into secretly meeting him…and then had sex with her on several
occasions.”
Iseri-Carvalho said the assaults came to light when the
defendant was caught climbing into the young girl’s bedroom window early one
morning by the victim’s father.
While his case was pending, Tallano “got
involved in another relationship with a 14-year-old minor” he communicated with
from prison, Iseri-Carvalho said.
Prior to sentencing, he posted a $30,000
bond, and “while he was out of jail, he began taking the child out of school
without her parents’ knowledge. A teacher reported seeing the child with the
defendant,” Iseri-Carvalho stated.
Fifth Circuit Court Judge George M.
Masuoka handed down 25 years of jail time Monday for Tallano after
Iseri-Carvalho argued for the maximum penalty.
Iseri-Carvalho said Tallano
was a sexual predator who preyed “on vulnerable children,” and that his actions
had “wreaked havoc” on the victims’ families.
Staff writer Dennis
Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and [
HREF=”mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net”>dwilken@pulitzer.net]
