LIHU‘E — A Kaua‘i man who called in a bomb threat at the school his ex-girlfriend’s children attended, agreed to a plea deal on Monday.
Lopaka Santos-Dasalia, 21, pleaded no contest to terroristic threatening in the first degree, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and $10,000 in restitution.
Though a judge will have final say over the sentence, prosecutors agreed to recommend Santos-Dasalia serve one year in jail, with credit for time served and the potential for early release to a drug treatment facility — along with four years of probation.
Santos-Dasalia triggered a shutdown at Koloa School on Sept. 26, 2022, by calling the school office and telling officials a bomb was set to detonate after school was finished.
The school was evacuated, and first responders did not discover a bomb present on campus. Santos-Dasalia was arrested by Kaua‘i Police Department officers several days later.
In the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a second count of terroristic threatening in the first degree and a count of harassment.
The deal also recommended a stay-away order from Koloa School and his ex-girlfriend.
Court documents allege Santos-Dasalia had been harassing the woman for at least a month prior to the bomb threat. The Garden Island won’t disclose the woman’s identity due to privacy concerns.
This harassment allegedly included an outburst outside of Koloa School, in which he threw a metal water bottle at her car.
Santos-Dasalia moved to defer acceptance of the plea until Aug. 8, 2023, when he will likely be sentenced.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
