WAILUKU — A man charged with sexually assaulting three girls who went to a Wailuku home for acupressure massages had the case consolidated with another case alleging he sexually assaulted a fourth girl the same night.

In the two criminal cases, Artemio Ramos, 66, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault and three counts of third-degree sexual assault.

During a hearing Friday, 2nd Circuit Judge Kirstin Hamman granted the prosecution’s request to consolidate the cases for trial.

“The alleged acts occurred on the same night and were part of the same course of conduct and would have been charged together except for the later reporting of the complaining witness,” Hamman said.

In a 2017 indictment, Ramos was charged with sexually assaulting three girls on April 29, 2016, when they went to the home to get acupressure massages from Ramos, according to a motion filed in court by Deputy Prosecutor J.W. Hupp.

Ramos, who was visiting from California, where he lived, represented himself to be a doctor of naturopathic medicine, although “it was later confirmed that he does not have those credentials,” according to the motion.

The girls were sexually assaulted when each went into a bedroom with Ramos with the door closed, the motion said.

Ramos was indicted on charges alleging he sexually assaulted the three girls before a fourth girl disclosed last May that she had been sexually assaulted at the home the same night, according to the motion.

In court Friday, Hupp said the only reason for the delay in seeking the second indictment “was because of the defendant’s own actions, which caused so much fear in this person.”

The girl reported that she tried to physically resist Ramos that night and he threatened that if she told anyone, he would blame her.

“She was too afraid to come forward until recently,” Hupp said.

He said the acts in the two cases occurred on the same day in the same location and involved same type of crime.

Defense attorney Emmanuel Guerrero opposed consolidating the cases, arguing that Ramos would be prejudiced.

Unlike the three complaining witnesses in the first case, the complaining witness in the second case would testify she was scared and threatened, Guerrero said.

“The two separate cases are not similar in that sense,” he said. “It will simply prejudice the jury.”

Judge Hamman said jury instructions could be given to address the defense concerns.

In the two cases, Ramos is being held in lieu of $450,000 bail at the Maui Community Correctional Center. A trial date is expected to be set at a hearing Feb. 7.

In May, jury selection had started in Ramos’ case when he pleaded no contest to three counts of second-degree sexual assault in exchange for the prosecution dismissing other charges. He had been scheduled to be sentenced in October but was allowed to withdraw his plea in November.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.