Big Island cop HILO >> In court testimony yesterday, Big Island policeman Warren Ke denied injuring Kau resident Kiana Dempster or holding her against her will.
denies woman’s
abuse charges
He contradicts earlier testimony
regarding the timing of a fightBy Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.comKe is on trial for unlawful imprisonment and abuse of a household member. He was living at the home of Dempster and her family in March when he allegedly hit and sexually molested Dempster and held her against her will for two days.
"She's made a lot of wild accusations. I don't know where it's coming from," Ke testified.
Ke was the only witness on his own behalf. Witnesses against him included several police officers from Kau, where he works, and from Kona.
Testimony concluded yesterday, and jurors are to hear closing arguments from attorneys today.
Ke testified he was staying at Dempster's house because he had been accused of abusing his wife, needed a place to stay and thought Dempster's mother invited him.
He later learned Dempster alone, not her mother, made the invitation, he said. The investigation into the allegation of abusing his wife was eventually dismissed, he said.
Asked on cross-examination whether it was his choice to live at the Dempster home, he said, "I don't see how I had any other choice."
Ke denied Dempster's statement that he was her boyfriend, saying they had a "loose friendship."
But restaurant owner Julie Bell testified she heard Ke tell Dempster at the restaurant that he loved her.
Ke said he did not sleep with Dempster. He did not know what happened when Dempster's mother took a photo of him sleeping with Dempster.
Prosecutor Jack Matsukawa indicated the photo showed Dempster would have had to crawl over Ke, if they did not lie down together.
"I'm a very heavy sleeper," Ke answered.
Dempster has testified that Ke hit her and held her against her will to prevent her from talking to police about allegations against Ke and another Kau officer.
Earlier this year, Dempster, 21, sought a restraining order against that other policeman, whom she accused of raping her as many as 100 times over five years while giving her drugs to control her. A Kona judge denied the restraining order, saying Dempster admitted drugs clouded her memory.
Dempster testified earlier that Ke hit her during an argument about 6 a.m. on March 5. Ke said he did not see her until 8 a.m., without argument. But Matsukawa showed him his testimony in a previous hearing when he said the two had an argument at 6 a.m.
Hawaii County
