HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Former City Council President Ikaika Anderson is pledging to fight a domestic violence charge.
The prominent politician was arrested at his home in Waimanalo on Monday night after a woman visiting him told police he injured her during an altercation.
The alleged victim is from the Big Island.
When she didn’t show up for work Monday, a coworker contacted her and texted her that Anderson wouldn’t let her fly home and sent her a photo of her injured arm.
The co-worker called Hawaii Island police who alerted Honolulu police.
Anderson was arrested at 7:45 p.m. and taken to the Kailua Police Station, where he was charged with misdemeanor domestic abuse and released on $1,000 bond.
HPD notes that the incident happened around 11:30 a.m. Monday.
HPD said officers found Anderson and the victim at Anderson’s home, and that she reported that he had physically abused her, causing pain and visible injuries.
Victor Bakke, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, said it’s a pretty strong case even though the woman didn’t call the police herself.
“It shows that this person was at the point where they felt they had been abused, but they were too afraid to confront the person directly or call the police,” he said.
But Anderson’s attorney, Thomas Otake, issued this statement:
“Ikaika’s arrest was based on a unilateral accusation of a misdemeanor. We will work with law enforcement and the Prosecutor’s Office to verify that no crime has been committed. Ikaika has the utmost respect for the whistleblower and asks that the general public respect their privacy and non-judgment while this process unfolds.”
Bakke said it’s not an unusual tactic.
“It means they’re going to try to present evidence directly to the prosecutor to get them to not file the actual charges,” Bakke said.
Bakke and others said the city attorney’s office is more open to dropping cases at the victim’s request.
“He’s much more open to the fact that it may not always be in the victim’s best interest to press charges, especially at the misdemeanor level, because the level of violence involved is much, much lower,” Bakke said.
Guilty or innocent, the arrest could end Anderson’s hopes for a political comeback, said University of Hawaii political science professor and Hawaii News Now political analyst Colin Moore.
“I think for someone who would want to go back to public office, potentially this kind of incident is one of the worst things that could happen,” Moore said.
“It’s very personal for so many people. And it really is for a lot of voters a show of character.”
It’s the third major setback for Anderson, who lost the lieutenant governor primary and then had to step down as Gov. Josh Green’s appointee to chair the Hawaii Department of Homelands when state senators hold out. After his nomination was rejected, Anderson left the Green administration.
In a statement, the governor said: “Our administration does not condone violence in any form, under any circumstances. In this situation, as in all others, it is important to allow the judicial process to take its course. The process ensures that people are not judged prematurely”.
If you are experiencing domestic violence call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
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