Trial for assault suspect moved

LIHUE — The trial for a Koloa man accused of punching another man in the head late last year at a Lihue bar has been rescheduled for Oct. 3.

The defense attorney for 34-year-old Nicholas Char was out of town and had requested the trial be continued. The state had no objections.

Char is charged with first degree-assault, a class B felony. Police said that on Dec. 14, Char allegedly punched a man in the back of the head at Kalapaki Joe’s, leaving him unresponsive. Police said Char had been drinking prior to the alleged assault.

The man, Michael Nakana Duarte, was rushed Wilcox Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. He was then medevaced to Queen’s Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

Duarte spent at least a week in critical condition, but he is no longer in the hospital, sources confirmed to The Garden Island Monday.

A class B felony is punishable by 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.