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WAILUKU - A judge told a man he could overcome his troubled past, as he was placed on four years' probation Friday for assaulting his girlfriend at a Kihei park.
Lopaka Delima, 21, of Kihei was given credit for about seven months he spent in jail after being arrested March 30.
At 3:15 that morning, an argument between Delima and his girlfriend turned violent when he struck her several times in the face and head, according to court documents. She suffered a 2-inch laceration over her left eyebrow when he punched her while holding a lighter and was taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center emergency room for the injury that required stitches, police said.
What happened was "life-altering" for the woman, who went from being an honor student with a bright future to having "blood pouring out of her head at the emergency room" at Maui Memorial Medical Center in a few months, said Deputy Prosecutor Sally Tobin.
The prosecution and defense agreed to recommend the probation sentence for Delima, who had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.
"He's had a rougher life thus far than you would wish on anyone," Tobin said. "It seems as though he has never had a good example. But it seems as though he's ready to learn.
"The state truly hopes that this time he will make that effort and turn that corner and break what is a cycle in his life."
Deputy Public Defender Heather Wolfenbarger said a report prepared for Delima's sentencing detailed his youth, including being in foster care and the juvenile court system.
"He did not have a stable home in his entire life," Wolfenbarger said. "None of these things are happening in a vacuum."
Since being incarcerated, "he has gained good insight into himself," Wolfenbarger said.
"He does acknowledge that drug use does have adverse impacts on his life," she said. "He can have a bright future. It's going to take some hard work. It's not going to be easy."
Delima apologized.
"I know what I've done is wrong," he said. "I know that the drugs and substance abuse is no excuse for what I've done."
Second Circuit Judge Kirstin Hamman followed the plea agreement in sentencing Delima.
"I hope you're ready to do the hard work you're going to have to do to make sure you break this cycle of violence," she said. "You had a very difficult childhood that no child should suffer.
"Your past does not have to dictate your future in any way. You are in control. It's up to you."
As part of his probation, Delima was ordered to work with his probation officer to enter a drug treatment program and to complete domestic violence intervention classes.
While Delima faces battles in life, "you have every opportunity to meet those battles and conquer those battles and be a better person," Judge Hamman said.
"People around you have that faith in you," she said.
* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.