Inmate relays threat to kill officers
HILO » Francis "Adobo" Carter told fellow prisoner Aaron Duchesne in June that he planned to blow up the homes of two Big Island police officers who had arrested him for drugs, then shoot any survivors as they ran out of their houses, Duchesne testified yesterday.
"He said he was their No. 1 enemy and he was going to blow up (officer) Tod Bello's house and kill him," Duchesne said. He identified officer Brian Prudencio as the other officer who allegedly was threatened. Both officers are members of the police Ice Task Force.
Duchesne also testified that after he warned police about Carter's alleged threats, Carter made a gesture that looked like pointing a gun at him and pulling the trigger four or five times.
Duchesne's testimony took place yesterday during two back-to-back preliminary hearings for Carter, the first on two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening regarding the officers, and the second on a charge of intimidating a witness, for the alleged threat to Duchesne himself.
District Judge Matthew Pyun ordered Carter, 37, held for trial and raised his bail by $100,000, to $500,000.
Except for minor supporting testimony from detective Greg Esteban, Duchesne gave the only testimony against Carter. But he mentioned taking a lie-detector test, which he apparently passed.
He corrected statements by defense attorney Chris Bertelmann during cross-examination.
Carter planned to kill Bello and Prudencio using a car loaded with C-4 explosive, he allegedly told Duchesne. Carter had access to four firearms with silencers, and friends who would help him with the plan, Duchesne said.
Duchesne said he took the comments seriously but did not report them to jail guards because the guards failed to respond when he reported threats to himself. But when Carter posted $100,000 bail and left jail, Duchesne contacted his lawyer about Carter's alleged threats.
With two officers and their families who might be killed, "I didn't want to have that on my shoulders," Duchesne said.
