Woman guilty of landlord assault

LIHU‘E — A Fifth Circuit Court jury found a Kapa‘a woman guilty Wednesday of assaulting her landlord and two women after a three-day trial.

Michelle Ann Preston, 48, of Kapa‘a, was found guilty of third-degree assault and abuse of family or household member and harassment. The incident occurred on Jan. 27 when she allegedly assaulted her landlord of three months.

County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gary Nelson said the woman represented the state. He said the defendant lost control and committed violent acts against her landlord, who also lived at the residence.

Defense attorney James Tagupa said Preston had reasonable expectations that the landlord would not allow a woman back into the home after items had been stolen during a previous visit with her son. The landlord agreed the two would not be allowed in the home again, Tagupa said.

The landlord testified that he arrived home the day of the incident with the woman and her sister to show them a vacant third bedroom.

They were interested in renting it because of an overcrowded and uncomfortable situation at their present residence, he said.

The living arrangement was a home with shared common areas and private bedrooms, Tagupa said. It was purely a tenant-landlord relationship.

When Preston saw the women, the landlord testified that she verbally assaulted the group and stepped outside to block the door.

When they attempted to enter the residence he said Preston swung and scratched his chest.

When Preston turned her assault toward the women, the landlord said he intervened and she spit in his face.

The harassment charge is a petty misdemeanor, with a maximum possible penalty of 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The assault and abuse charges are misdemeanors that carry a possible one-year jail sentence and a $2,000 fine.

Watanabe scheduled the sentencing hearing for Nov. 15. Preston remains on bail.