DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Francis K.S. Kim reacted yesterday as he was sentenced to six months in prison and six months' probation for exposing himself to women in downtown parking lots.

---

Admitted flasher
sentenced

Francis K.S. Kim gets six months
in prison, less than the year
prosecutors sought

A former administrator for a substance abuse treatment program who admitted to exposing himself to at least 200 victims over 20 years was sentenced yesterday to six months in jail, followed by six months' probation.

Francis K.S. Kim, 38, pleaded guilty in April to three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor. He was facing a maximum of one year in prison for each count, and prosecutors asked for the maximum, to be served one after the other.

District Judge William Cardwell told Kim that his offenses were "far too serious and recurring" for him to simply grant probation and allow him to seek treatment. "There must be just punishment and society must be protected, specifically women of this community. ... This behavior must be stopped."

However, Cardwell said Kim needs treatment, and he is not convinced that Kim should be abandoned. He noted that in the last 10 years, Kim has been productive and helpful to the community.

Defense attorney Mark Kawata said doctors believe Kim can benefit from sex offender treatment. At least one doctor says Kim is in no risk of committing another sexual offense.

Kim entered the Sand Island Treatment Center as a client in September 1995 and began working for the center in April 1996, Kawata said. Kim is now drug-free.

Kim acknowledged he had a drug problem and that the best way to control it was to keep involved in the center and live there. He worked his way up from intern to counselor.

At the time of his arrest, he was program administrator, managing the day-to-day responsibilities of the program, Kawata said. "It's the best substance abuse treatment program in the state -- a lot of that is due to Mr. Kim's efforts."

Deputy prosecutor Oksana Vincent objected to probation, arguing that Kim failed to comply with court-ordered treatment in the past. More important, the community needed to be protected, she said.

On three separate evenings in October and December, Kim exposed himself to four women and masturbated in parking lots in the Punchbowl Street area.

Kim has engaged in this behavior before, Vincent said. He was convicted in 1990 on two counts of fifth-degree sexual assault for exposing himself to two women and served 30 days in jail. In 1993 he was convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor, for exposing himself to an 11-year-old and 12-year-old and masturbating while facing a Kaneohe elementary school. He was sentenced to probation but was ordered to undergo mental health and sex offender treatment.

While undergoing treatment he was arrested and convicted of threatening his father in 1995 and sentenced to a year in jail.

He objected to continuing treatment for the sex assault conviction while serving time for the terroristic threatening and failed to complete the program. Because he did not finish, he was resentenced to 60 days in jail in 1994 for the previous sex assaults.

After pleading guilty in April, Kim told a probation officer that he had exposed himself to around 200 victims in the past 20 years, she said.