Jervis to fight indictment over egg-tossing incident
Former Bishop Estate trustee is only one charged so far in SUV crash
STORY SUMMARY »
An Oahu grand jury has indicted former Bishop Estate trustee Gerard Jervis on charges of allegedly ramming his car into a sport utility vehicle carrying four Saint Louis School students who reportedly threw eggs at his home.
Jervis, 59, was charged with drunken driving, first-degree criminal property damage and first-degree terroristic threatening for putting the lives of the teens at risk. He also was charged with harassment for allegedly cursing at a woman who joined witnesses and residents at the intersection of Aalapapa and Kaelepulu drives after the crash.
"We are going to fight all of them (the charges)," said Jervis' attorney, Paul Cunney.
FULL STORY »
Former Bishop Estate trustee Gerard Jervis will plead not guilty to four criminal charges, including drunken driving and first-degree terroristic threatening, after being indicted yesterday for ramming his car into a sport utility vehicle carrying four Saint Louis School students suspected of throwing eggs at his Kailua home, according to his attorney.
The grand jury indictment also charged Jervis with first-degree criminal property damage as well as harassment, a petty misdemeanor, for allegedly cursing at a woman who joined witnesses and residents at the intersection of Aalapapa and Kaelepulu drives following the March 7 crash in Lanikai.
Jervis, who posted $40,000 bail after his arrest that night, faces up to 15 years in prison and about $55,000 in fines if convicted on all counts.
His attorney, Paul Cunney, argues Jervis' black BMW sedan struck the boys' SUV only after its driver lost control during a turn and crashed on a telephone pole wire. No one was injured.
Cunney said the teenagers drove by and egged Jervis' home at about 11 p.m. as he and his wife were watching the stars after going out for dinner. Jervis, he said, got into his car, followed the SUV and flashed his lights so the teenagers would stop.
According to a police affidavit, Jervis, a 59-year-old lawyer, had a blood alcohol content of 0.1 percent, above the legal limit of 0.08. Police also were investigating whether the driver of the SUV was intoxicated.
Cunney said Jervis can justify his decision to chase the teenagers despite being legally drunk because he says he was assaulted.
Eric Seitz, an attorney for three of the four Saint Louis students, declined to comment.
The three students -- including a 17-year-old arrested Friday in a prostitution sting in Chinatown for allegedly soliciting a female undercover police officer -- wrote an apology letter to the school this week, but they did not admit to tossing eggs at Jervis' house.
Seitz has said police will not pursue any charges against the boys.
"I'm really shocked and stunned that no charges have been brought against the students at all," Cunney said. "It seems like this is really very one-sided."
Jervis was among five Bishop Estate trustees who resigned or were forced out after a scandal concerning mismanagement of the multibillion-dollar trust that funds the private Kamehameha Schools. He quit in 1999 after the Internal Revenue Service threatened to revoke the estate's tax-exempt status if the board was not removed.
Jervis was also involved in a scandal with a trust lawyer who killed herself on March 3, 1999, the day after they were found having sex in a restroom at the Hawaii Prince Hotel. He was later hospitalized after over- dosing on sleeping pills.
The charges
» First-degree criminal property damage and first-degree terroristic threatening for allegedly ramming his car into a sport utility vehicle carrying four Saint Louis School students, causing it to crash.
» Drunken driving. Jervis allegedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.1 percent, above the legal limit of 0.08, according to police.
» Harassment. Jervis allegedly cursed at a woman who joined witnesses and residents at the intersection of Aalapapa and Kaelepulu drives following the crash.
|
