LIHUE — A Kekaha man convicted of sexual assaults against two boys was sentenced to concurrent 20-year prison terms Wednesday in 5th Circuit Court. Chad Vaughn Kealohapauole Weigle, 48, was convicted of sexually assaulting teenage boys in 2012. He didn’t
LIHUE — A Kekaha man convicted of sexual assaults against two boys was sentenced to concurrent 20-year prison terms Wednesday in 5th Circuit Court.
Chad Vaughn Kealohapauole Weigle, 48, was convicted of sexually assaulting teenage boys in 2012. He didn’t offer a statement for the court before the sentence was handed down.
Judge Kathleen Watanabe said the crime was especially egregious because the defendant’s actions were not only against underage boys, but that he targeted the especially vulnerable and mentally challenged.
She said the defendant’s statements in his presentencing report about fearing for his safety in prison should be put in perspective.
“The difference is that you brought this on yourself and the victims are just that — victims,” Watanabe said.
“I hope that you will reflect on the suffering that you brought on these innocent children and the suffering they must continue to have because of your selfish and criminal acts.”
Weigle was sentenced to two 20-year terms, but both sentences will run at the same time.
The children were neighbors and Weigle was not in a position of professional oversight or with any direct supervisory responsibilities over the boys, according to the County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Arin. She asked the court for the 20-year prison terms for crimes against children and the especially vulnerable.
Arin also raised the issue about Weigle’s concerns about his safety in prison. She said the statements made the defendant sound “disconnected,” and that he should consider the hopelessness and vulnerability that his victims felt more than himself.
Court-appointed defense attorney Rosa Flores said the defendant was cooperative from the start and he expected to do prison time.
Weigle, a former seed company employee, was arrested Nov. 18, 2012, for 10 counts of first-degree sexual assault and a third-degree sexual assault of a 16-year-old between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1, 2010. The victim was mentally incapacitated or physically helpless, according to the indictment. Weigle was arraigned in a second case on Sept. 9.
The victim was under the age of 16 years at the time Weigle was accused of abusing him between July 28, 2008, and July 27, 2010.
The defendant agreed to the terms of a no-contest change of plea agreement for both cases on Sept. 11.
The victims or their families were not in court Wednesday.
