LIHUE – A man facing 21 counts in the alleged sexual assault of two women late last year in Koloa was found fit to stand trial Tuesday, in Fifth Circuit Court.
Standing before Judge Kathleen Watanabe dressed in a Kauai County Correctional Center jumpsuit, Jesse Korn, stood quietly, flanked between his lawyer and a Marshallese interpreter, as the decision was rendered.
“Given the unanimous opinions of Doctor’s Wise, Gerard and McKenna, as to the issue of fitness, given that council is stipulating to acknowledge the receipt of the reports, this court is making a finding of the record that the defendant is in fact fit to proceed,” Watanabe said.
Korn’s lawyer John Murphy, disagreed with Watanabe’s decision, stating there was a plea offer on the table that he would be discussing with Korn after the days proceedings.
In a statement to TGI Newspaper, Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar said, “Any resolution will include a lengthy prison sentence. Without getting into specifics, cases like this commonly settle before trial in order to spare young, child victiims the trauma of testifying in trial.”
In early December, Korn, 26, was arrested after a two-day manhunt, without incident, after police were called to the Kawailehua Housing complex on Paanau Road, after receiving reports of a suspect who unlawfully entered two different units and allegedly sexually assaulted two female victims.
During the search, roughly 20 patrol officers and detectives, with the assistance of Air 1, searched for Korn after the assaults were reported.
A motion for an examination of mental fitness and capacity to stand trial was accepted in Fifth Circuit Court in February, when Murphy argued that due to the 21 counts against his client, there might be a mental defect or organic problem with him.
Korn remains in custody on $500,000 bail. His jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 1.
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Bethany Freudenthal, Courts, Crime and County reporter, 652-7891 or bfreudenthal@thegardenisland.com
