Teen charged as adult in stabbing
The 17-year-old faces life imprisonment if he is convicted
Prosecutors charged a 17-year-old boy yesterday as an adult with second-degree attempted murder of a 32-year-old man at a Honolulu park in April.
Precise Scottson Andon will be tried as an adult for allegedly stabbing the man several times in the back with a knife.
He is scheduled to make his first appearance in District Court this morning.
Charging a minor as an adult is "appropriately infrequent," said Jim Fulton, spokesman for the city Prosecutor's Office.
If convicted, Andon faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment instead of being imprisoned until he reaches age 19 (as a juvenile).
Police arrested Andon yesterday morning after a Family Court judge waived jurisdiction. Andon was being held last night in lieu of $50,000 bail in a cell at the main police station.
Police said the victim was one of two men attacked April 12 at Thomas Square across from Blaisdell Center on South King Street.
The man was initially in serious condition when he was taken to the Queen's Medical Center, but his condition worsened to critical. The man survived the attack but his current condition is unknown.
The charging of a minor as an adult can occur only in cases of first- and second-degree murder and attempted murder, and only when there is no evidence the minor might be found mentally incompetent.
The Prosecutor's Office said possible factors include the seriousness of the alleged offense, whether it is committed in an aggressive, violent, premeditated or willful manner, the sophistication and maturity of the minor, the prospects for adequate protection of the public and the likelihood the minor can be rehabilitated.
Family Court will hold a hearing July 24 on whether a 15-year-old Ewa Beach boy, suspected of murdering his neighbor, 51-year-old Karen Ertell, should be tried as an adult.
In that case the boy could face life imprisonment instead of a maximum term of four years, when he reaches age 19.
Fulton noted that there are more criteria to waive jurisdiction for minors younger than 16 than for minors 16 and older.
