LIHU‘E — The ‘Ele‘ele man picked up in the September “Keiki Shield” Sting Operation was arraigned at Lihu‘e Courthouse last week.
Nicholas Wehrly, 32, appeared in court from the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center on Thursday, Oct. 6, where he entered a not guilty plea on a charge of electronic enticement of a child in the first degree.
The court denied a request for Wehrly to be released on his own recognizance and his bail remains set at $20,000 bail. He is next slated to appear in court for a pretrial conference on Jan. 11, 2023.
Wehrly was picked up along with Eric Nakamoto, 39, of Hanama‘ulu, in “Keiki Shield,” a joint law-enforcement operation targeting predators.
Felony information filed against Wehrly alleges that he communicated online with an individual representing themselves as a minor, agreed to meet with them with the intention of committing sexual assault, and showed up at the agreed meeting place.
Kaua‘i Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Like reported Monday that her office planned to file charges against Nakamoto before his scheduled arraignment date of Oct. 19.
The Kaua‘i Police Department led the sting effort, which included officers and agents from the KPD, the Department of the Attorney General, the ICAC Taskforce, the Maui Police Department, the Honolulu Police Department, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Homeland Security Investigations Honolulu.
This May, another “Keiki Shield operation on Maui led to the arrest of three men for internet sex crimes.
