LIHU‘E — Jason A. Lubag Jr. was in Fifth Circuit Court Tuesday to plead no contest to two of seven charges related to a sexual assault earlier this year. Lubag, 19, of Kapa‘a, was arrested on Feb. 9 on four
LIHU‘E — Jason A. Lubag Jr. was in Fifth Circuit Court Tuesday to plead no contest to two of seven charges related to a sexual assault earlier this year.
Lubag, 19, of Kapa‘a, was arrested on Feb. 9 on four counts of first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping, unauthorized entry and unauthorized control of a vehicle.
Lubag pleaded no contest on an amended count of second-degree sexual assault and to an amended count of kidnapping reduced from a Class A to a Class B felony. The remaining charges were dropped for the Feb. 8 crime.
Court-appointed attorney June Chiharu Ikemoto represented Lubag, and County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Arin represented the State of Hawai‘i.
Judge Kathleen Watanabe set Lubag’s sentencing hearing for Jan. 25. His trial date had been scheduled for Dec. 12.
Bail before the plea had been set at $500,000. Watanabe ordered no bail after the plea and that Lubag be held until sentencing.
The plea deal calls for the mandatory minimum jail sentence of 18 months concurrent on both charges and felony probation. It would also require Lubag to register on the State Sex Offender Registry, complete a psycho-sexual evaluation, pay full restitution and stay away from the victim.
Watanabe noted that the possible sentence is 10 years and $25,000 for each charge. If sentences were stacked and doubled as allowed in this case Lubag could face 40 years if sentenced outside of the plea guidelines.
• Tom LaVenture, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or by emailing tlaventure@ thegardenisland.com.
