Teen faces prison time after attack on referee
The ex-basketball player pleads guilty to a Class C felony
A former Konawaena High School basketball player pleaded guilty Thursday to terroristic threatening charges in a Feb. 9, 2005, incident in which he tried to tackle a referee for ejecting him from a game after hitting an opponent.
Kainoa Abril pleaded guilty to first-degree terroristic threatening, a Class C felony, and second-degree terroristic threatening, a misdemeanor.
Abril, then an 18-year-old senior, was playing in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation basketball tournament championship against Waiakea High School when he pummeled a Waiakea player. The incident was caught on videotape, which the Waiakea coach submitted to the league and used to have his player reinstated.
Shortly after both players were ejected, Abril jumped off the bench and tried to tackle the referee, Mason Souza.
Abril will be sentenced Dec. 11 at 3:30 p.m. before Circuit Judge Elizabeth Strance in Kealakekua.
He faces up to five years' imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine for the felony, and up to a year in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,000 for the misdemeanor.
After the incident, Abril was suspended from school for the remainder of the year and from participating in sports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.