Parole board The resignation of a Hawaii Paroling Authority member yesterday has shut down parole hearings until a replacement can be found, according to a spokesman for Gov. Linda Lingle.
halts work after
member resigns
Lani Rae Garcia quits after
being charged with domestic abuseBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comLani Rae Garcia resigned after being charged with misdemeanor abuse last month. Garcia, 52, was arrested March 19 at a Kalama Valley residence, according to police. Court records indicate that Richard Krokidas, described as Garcia's boyfriend, filed the complaint against her.
Garcia pleaded not guilty during arraignment last week before Family Court Judge Darryl Choy on two counts of abuse of a family member. She requested a jury trial, which is scheduled for April 28.
"The citizens of our community must have the utmost confidence in decisions rendered by parole board members," Garcia wrote in a resignation letter to the governor. "To insure that the board continues to operate with un-compromised integrity, I relinquish my appointment as a board member.
"While I am confident that pending legal matters will be resolved in my favor, I believe that this decision is best for all concerned."
Last year, Garcia was granted a deferred acceptance of a no-contest plea on a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge involving her daughter. Garcia avoided a criminal record in that case by complying with conditions similar to probation and by staying out of trouble for a six-month period.
Garcia, a former assistant federal public defender, has given stern lectures to convicted criminals during their parole hearings. She was appointed to the board in 2000, and her term was set to expire on June 30, 2004.
Garcia's resignation from the board pending an investigation is the second one submitted to the Governor's Office in the last 30 days. On March 11, former Chairman Alfred Beaver turned in his resignation after an investigation into whether he misused his post.
Beaver's attorney said he made some poor decisions and was misled by a parole officer into altering parole and sentencing for several parolees. Beaver had been on paid administrative leave since Nov. 22 while the investigation was conducted.
All that remains of the board, which presides over an estimated 350 to 400 parole hearings a month, is acting Chairwoman Mary Tiwanak, whose term expires June 30. However without at least another member, the board cannot "meet" to make any sort of decisions, said Lingle spokesman Russell Pang.
"You need at least two members," Pang said. "There can be no parole hearings until this is resolved. ... They're going to have to wait until the AG (attorney general) comes back with a decision of what can be done with this parole board."
Tommy Johnson, Paroling Authority administrator, said he has offered the idea of temporarily assigning himself to the board as a member until a suitable replacement can be found.
However, Johnson said even if the attorney general approved the idea, he did not think he would be able sit in on parole violation hearings, because he is the one who authorizes the arrest of parole violators.
Besides parole violation hearings, the board also hears other issues, including reconsideration for parole and setting minimum sentences for convicted criminals. Pang said a search for replacements for both Garcia and Beaver is under way. But Pang said he was not aware of whether Johnson could sit on the board even temporarily.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.