Bail halved in crash fatality case

WAILUKU — Bail was reduced Friday to $100,000 for a 44-year-old Wailuku man who is charged with two counts of manslaughter in a fatal motor vehicle crash last year in Kihei that killed a mother and her son.

Second Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo lowered bail from $203,000 to $100,000 for Kalani Au Hoon. He is charged with two counts of manslaughter, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, reckless driving of a vehicle and inattention to driving.

A bail study recommended supervised release for Au Hoon, who has significant ties to the community, but Loo said she took into account the two counts of manslaughter. If he were convicted, sentences for those charges, running consecutively, could amount to 40 years in prison.

Deputy Prosecutor Brandon Segal opposed the bail study recommendation for supervised release. He said Au Hoon is a danger to the community and has had five to six speeding violations, as well convictions for driving without a license, using fraudulent plates and running a red light.

Au Hoon’s blood alcohol level was several times over the legal limit in the fatal crash, said Segal, who is supervisor of the prosecutor’s office Vehicular Homicide and Road Safety Unit. He said that Au Hoon had been drinking a day before he was arrested on the grand jury warrant and has been seen on social media at bars.

Au Hoon does have an injury to his left foot or left leg, but that injury may not stop him from driving, Segal said. Some amount of bail was needed in the case, he said.

Deputy Public Defender Danielle Sears said that Au Hoon has not been driving for about a year. She asked that bail be reduced to $10,000, noting his family and community ties to Maui. She said the reduction in bail would allow Au Hoon to receive treatment for drinking.

Au Hoon also will undergo surgeries on Oahu for his medical issues. In the incident on July 21, 2019, on Piilani Highway in Kihei, Au Hoon also sustained serious injuries.

Sears said Au Hoon’s sister is a caretaker for him.

Mildred Jouvenat, 49, and her son, Jacob, 14, both of Kihei, were killed when Au Hoon’s Ford F150 truck collided with their 2016 Nissan Versa.

Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.