WAILUKU - A judge kept bail at $15,000 for a man charged with assaulting his then-girlfriend, who reported being pinned to the ground, punched and bitten during a confrontation outside a Kula residence.
A Dec. 10 trial is scheduled in 2nd Circuit Court for Kristofer Rosete, 25. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree burglary and second-degree assault.
During a bail hearing Tuesday, Rosete asked to be released on supervision, with Deputy Public Defender Annalisa Bernard saying he has a job, no criminal convictions and close ties to his family.
Deputy Prosecutor Jeffery Temas opposed the request, saying the charges involved a home invasion related to a domestic violence case. "At this point, protection of the community is the highest priority," Temas said.
The woman reported being assaulted the night of Aug. 24 after she went to look for Rosete because she was worried that he was suicidal, according to a temporary restraining order she filed in court. He sent her a text message accusing her of leaving to meet someone else.
When she retuned home, Rosete ran out the door. He had ripped the screen off a front window, the woman discovered, and her 13-year-old daughter said Rosete had been sitting at a kitchen table with a chef's knife next to him.
Rosete's sister showed up a few minutes later, asking where Rosete was and arguing with his girlfriend before both left in separate vehicles. The girlfriend was going down the driveway when she reported seeing Rosete, who pulled up on one side of her vehicle while his sister pulled up on the other side.
All three got out of their vehicles and Rosete and his sister began yelling at the girlfriend, according to her restraining order application. After yelling at Rosete's sister to "get out of my face," the girlfriend said she was thrown onto the ground by Rosete. She said she was pinned to the ground when Rosete's sister began punching her in the head and face, with both Rosete and his sister "on top of me beating me."
Rosete's sister punched her in the nose, causing a gash, the woman said, before Rosete head-butted her near her left eyebrow.
"I remember getting into my car and blood was pouring down my face, and I began honking my horn trying to get someone's attention to help me," she wrote. "Kristofer and his sister left me there and didn't even try to help me."
She was driven to the emergency room, where she received three stitches on her nose and eight stitches for a gash near here eyebrow. She also suffered two black eyes and bruises on her left arm where Rosete had bitten her, she reported.
Second Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza said he had to consider dangerousness in deciding to keep Rosete's bail at $15,000. The judge said he would consider future requests to increase or decrease the bail amount.
According to police records, Rosete's sister, Jennai Rosete, 22, of Haliimaile was arrested and released after posting $5,000 bail on a second-degree assault charge.
* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.
