LIHU‘E — A Kilauea man appeared at the Fifth Circuit Court in Lihu‘e on April 28, where he entered a not guilty plea to a charge of sexual assault in the first degree.
Robert Dora, 37, is being held on $1 million bail for an alleged Feb. 27 incident involving a minor under the age of 14, court records show.
The Kaua‘i Police Department said in a news release that the incident occurred in the vicinity of the Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex in Kapa‘a during daylight hours, but provided only limited details due to its sensitive nature.
“When bystanders noticed the man with a child, they intervened and reported the incident to police,” the police department said.
Dora was later located in Ohio, where Kaua‘i police worked with the Kaua‘i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and Ohio law enforcement to issue a grand jury bench warrant for his arrest. Ohio police placed Dora in custody, and KPD detectives transported him back to Kaua‘i on April 23.
“Our island prides itself on being a safe, tight-knit community, but incidents like this are an unfortunate reminder that we must always remain vigilant, especially when it comes to keeping our keiki safe,” said Acting Captain Kennison Nagahisa of the KPD Investigative Services Bureau.
“We are grateful to the bystanders who intervened when they felt the minor was in trouble, and we thank the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and Ohio law enforcement for their efforts to ensure that Mr. Dora is no longer a threat to our community,” said Nagahisa.
Dora faces additional charges of sexual assault in the fourth degree and trespassing at Kapa‘a High School for another incident that occurred on the same day. He is set to be arraigned in that case later this month.
Court records show a man by the same name completed probation for a charge of reckless endangering in the first degree in 2021.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
