Woman in gun case
released on bond

Prosecutors worry that the Aiea woman
could have had malicious intentions

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By Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.com

An Aiea woman who attempted to carry a loaded firearm through a Honolulu Airport checkpoint last week has been released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Princess K. Samonte, 27, allegedly was flying to San Antonio to visit her ex-boyfriend who is stationed there in the Navy.

At a detention hearing yesterday in U.S. District Court, prosecutors agreed to Samonte's release since the handgun has been seized, she is prohibited from traveling and she would be released into the custody of an approved sponsor.

But assistant U.S. Attorney Omer Poirier said he had some reservations based on a pretrial services report, which noted her boyfriend's concern that "she may have been coming to whack him."

Poirier said Samonte had told FBI agents that her ex-boyfriend had given her the gun for protection. She also told the airport screener who had discovered the gun in Samonte's sock during a pat search that it was registered in her name and she was licensed to carry a gun. She claimed she believed she could carry the gun since it was registered to her and did not know it was illegal to carry a concealed weapon through airport checkpoints.

She also admitted that she had taken the gun on a trip to San Antonio earlier this month and was not stopped at any airport checkpoint, Poirier said. A check revealed that the handgun was not registered to anyone.

Poirier said although Samonte had said she had brought the gun with her on an earlier trip, there was no evidence to confirm it.

Assistant federal public defender William Domingo said there is no dispute Samonte was carrying the gun on her and that she did not have a permit to carry.

Domingo also has not had any contact with Samonte's ex-boyfriend to question him about statements he allegedly made to investigators about Samonte and why he gave her the gun.

"We're still trying to see what's going on," he said.

A preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 10.

Attempting to carry a handgun onto an airplane is punishable by a maximum 10 years' imprisonment.