LIHUE — Prosecuting Attorney Justin F. Kollar announced that the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals filed an order Thursday affirming the convictions of Rogelio Lahip Ganotisi on three counts of failure to comply with covered sex offender registration, all class C felonies.
LIHUE — Prosecuting Attorney Justin F. Kollar announced that the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals filed an order Thursday affirming the convictions of Rogelio Lahip Ganotisi on three counts of failure to comply with covered sex offender registration, all class C felonies.
Ganotisi, 69, formerly of Lihue, was convicted following a jury trial in September 2015, in which testimony and evidence showed that Ganotisi had never registered as a sex offender following his convictions for sexual assault in the first degree and kidnapping in the early 1990s.
Ganotisi was sentenced in December 2015, to serve concurrent open five-year terms of imprisonment by Fifth Circuit Chief Judge Randal G.B. Valenciano.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tracy J. Murakami litigated the appeal on behalf of the State of Hawaii, and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Like litigated the jury trial.
“We are pleased that the appellate court correctly recognized that the trial court committed no errors in giving the defendant the fair trial he was entitled to,” stated Kollar. “Although nothing we do can ever undo the crimes this sexual predator committed, we are satisfied that he will remain in prison for an extended period of time.”
