Maui warden pleads
innocent in sex case
Maui Community Correctional Center warden Albert Murashige pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges he sexually assaulted a female inmate on five occasions between May 1 and June 4.
Murashige, 46, was indicted by a Maui grand jury on June 6 with 10 counts of sexual assault, two counts of attempted sexual assault and one count of kidnapping that occurred at the Maui Community Correctional Center.
District Judge Reinette Cooper set trial for the week of Nov. 17.
Murashige, employed with the Department of Public Safety since 1980 and Maui warden since 1991, remains free in lieu of a $100,000 bond.
The inmate, 44, is serving time for felony drug convictions and was on a work furlough program at the time of the assaults.
She wrote a letter to state Rep. Kika Bukoski about the alleged incidents. Bukoski turned it over to the Department of the Attorney General, which immediately began investigating.
The last assault allegedly occurred after the attorney general had started an investigation. Murashige was arrested June 4. His attorney could not be reached for comment.