Suspect pleads guilty
in kidnapping case

A 21-year-old man has admitted he tried to kidnap a female jogger near Kapiolani Park more than a year ago and tried to sexually assault her.

Robert Allen O'Neal, who was indicted by an Oahu grand jury a year ago with kidnapping and first-degree attempted assault, pleaded guilty yesterday before Circuit Judge Richard Pollack. He faces a mandatory 20-year term on each count, which can be extended to a life term.

During questioning yesterday, O'Neal acknowledged that he had been treated before for a mental illness and is currently taking medication for insomnia.

O'Neal has been in custody since his arrest, unable to post $100,000 bail.

According to court documents, a police officer who was at a storage shed near Paki and Monsarrat avenues preparing his all-terrain vehicle for routine patrol overheard screams for help shortly before 9 p.m. on April 6.

Officer Chris Kim saw the man grabbing a woman from behind some 50 yards away. The man appeared to be trying to pull her into a darkened area of the park. The two struggled, and the man finally let go and fled into the park.

Kim said that he gave chase on his ATV, but the man ignored repeated orders to stop. The officer managed to capture him.

The woman who was attacked told Kim later that O'Neal had told her three times not to scream or he would kill her. Kim noted in an affidavit that O'Neal had a silver-colored knife in his right hand and had covered the woman's mouth with his other hand.

O'Neal will be sentenced on June 20.