Mom claims LIHUE >> The mother of one of two teenage men accused in an attack on a group of gay campers said Kauai police have arrested the wrong men.
mistaken ID in
gay attacks
A hearing continues today
in a Kauai court over an arson
assault at a Polihale campsiteBy Anthony Sommer
Star-BulletinA preliminary hearing for Eamonn Carolan, 18, and Orion Macomber, 19, began yesterday and was scheduled to continue today.
The two men have each been charged with three counts of attempted murder in the assault of a group of gay men camping at Polihale State Park over the weekend.
If District Judge Trudy Senda finds there is sufficient evidence, she will transfer the case to Circuit Court for trial.
Both men are charged with setting fire to a tent where one camper was sleeping, attempting to burn a second tent, starting a brush fire and attempting to run down campers with a car. One camper received minor burns that did not require medical treatment. The assault occurred at 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
Carolan and Macomber were arrested shortly afterward sleeping at a neighboring campground. Police said Macomber was unconscious and apparently intoxicated.
According to testimony at yesterday's hearing, the campers who were attacked could not identify either suspect. However, the license number on the car used by the men who attacked the camp matched that of the car the two suspects were driving.
Police said the two suspects were camping with two women friends. A hooded jacket belonging to Macomber and similar to one described by the victims was found in the back of the car they were using. Carolan was wearing only red shorts when he was arrested, police said. One victim said one of the two men who attacked the camp was wearing only red shorts.
Police also found containers of kerosene with the two accused men. Kerosene used to fuel tiki lights was missing from one of the victim's vehicles. Kerosene had been used to set one tent on fire and to start a brush fire at the campground.
The two men's women companions told police they had not brought any kerosene on the camping trip, according to police.
Gay activist Martin Rice, who helped organize the camping trip, said the two men who attacked the camp yelled that God told them to kill homosexuals, and he blamed the assault on fundamentalist Christians.
But Carolan's mother said neither her son nor Macomber, who are lifelong friends, practice any religion, and neither has any prejudice against homosexuals.
Both Nancy Carolan and her former husband, Dr. Terrence Carolan, a Kauai pediatrician, were in court yesterday and talked to reporters during breaks.
Macomber's mother, Heidi Smyser, also was present but declined to be interviewed.
Nancy Carolan, a singer and record producer, said both her son and Macomber grew up around entertainers, many of whom are homosexuals.
"They've never indicated they have any issues regarding homosexuals," she said. "They're both laid-back surfer dudes who accept people the way they are."
"I believe they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. From the police report, the things the men who attacked that camp were quoted as saying were clearly in pidgin. These guys speak standard English."