Trending
The Maui News
WAILUKU -- A man who had been serving a prison term before his felony assault conviction was vacated had his case resolved May 20 when he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.
Paula Siaosi Ngalu Jr., 25, of Kihei was sentenced to a one-year jail term, which he had already served.
He and Foukimoana Finau had been charged with felony assault of a 24-year-old man whose jaw was displaced in the assault in the early-morning hours of Jan. 27, 2018, at Kihei Kalama Village.
According to testimony at Ngalu's trial in 2019, Ngalu and the victim had been in Lava Rock Bar & Grill before Ngalu approached the victim outside the bar. Witnesses said Ngalu punched the other man in the face and kicked him.
After being convicted of second-degree assault, Ngalu was sentenced to a five-year prison term. He had spent nearly a year and a half in prison before the state Intermediate Court of Appeals vacated his conviction and sent the case back for a new trial in April 2021.
Deputy Prosecutor Sally Tobin said the higher court ruled on a technical issue.
In reaching the plea agreement on the misdemeanor charge, she said Ngalu was "not the primary aggressor" and not the one primarily responsible for the injuries suffered by the victim.
Second Circuit Judge Kirstin Hamman followed the plea agreement in sentencing Ngalu.
Co-defendant Finau, 25, is serving a five-year prison term for second-degree assault in the case.