LIHU‘E — It may take another two months to finalize state-to-state extradition paperwork in the case of a Kaua‘i man wanted in Massachusetts, a county deputy prosecutor said in court Thursday. New information came to light from 5th Circuit Judge
LIHU‘E — It may take another two months to finalize state-to-state extradition paperwork in the case of a Kaua‘i man wanted in Massachusetts, a county deputy prosecutor said in court Thursday.
New information came to light from 5th Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano, who said that extradition might not be necessary in the case of Frederick Pannkoke if an attempt is successful to resolve alleged violations in Massachusetts.
Pannkoke, 58, was charged in 1989 with assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, and is wanted by Massachusetts authorities for parole violations for leaving the state and failing to register with the Massachusetts sex-offender registry, said county Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tracy Murakami.
Over the objections of Deputy Public Defender John Calma, representing Pannkoke, Valenciano granted Murakami’s request for a 60-day extension in order to finalize extradition paperwork, which is still being processed in Massachusetts.
After it weaves through various departments in Massachusetts, it still needs to meet Hawai‘i state attorney general muster and be signed by Gov. Linda Lingle before extradition could take place, Murakami said.
Calma requested a bail study be done, as his client has been held without bail at Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center since the end of last month.
Murakami said she considers Pannkoke a flight risk, but did not object to the bail study so long as bail is set at $1 million.
Valenciano granted Calma’s request for a bail study, saying that doesn’t necessarily mean Pannkoke will be released on bail.
The next hearing date in the matter is Aug. 18, Valenciano said at the Lihu‘e state courthouse.
Also Thursday, Valenciano gave a man a rare chance to choose between jail and community service, with Derrick Ledesma opting for community service as a result of a few charges involving a drunken incident at a Po‘ipu hotel.
According to Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar, Ledesma was drinking at Stevenson’s Library at the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa, was bothering other patrons, cut off by the bartender, became belligerent and vocally abusive, and didn’t go willingly when hotel security tried to escort him off property.
Inside the Kaua‘i Police Department vehicle, Ledesma banged his head against a window and kicked a door, originally prompting criminal-property-damage charges until investigators concluded he did no damage to the KPD cruiser, Kollar said.
After being released from custody, he went back to the hotel — to retrieve his cell phone, Ledesma said later — and was apprehended again.
“It was a bad night for you,” Valenciano said. “You probably made it a bad night for other people, too. I can only imagine how you disrupted other people’s lives” that night, the judge said.
Valenciano also said Ledesma has no prior convictions, and the crimes he ended up being sentenced for, disorderly conduct and harassment, are both petty misdemeanors.
Valenciano sentenced Ledesma to 100 hours of community service, to be completed before Aug. 28 because of Ledesma’s flexible schedule as a handyman.
Deputy Public Defender Dena Renti Cruz said Ledesma has been clean and sober since the incident, is sorry for his actions that night and takes responsibilities for his bad choices. She requested no jail time be given to her client.
“Alcohol was a problem in my life,” Ledesma said. “I guess I got a little bit belligerent” on the night in question, he said.
As of July 1, he will have been sober for one year, he said. “I’m very proud of that fact. I feel great now. You will never see me in here again.”
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com
