Stabbing in ABC Store leads to year in jail

Ralph Guarino chased man into store before assaulting him

WAILUKU — A 51-yearold man was sentenced to a one-year jail term for stabbing another homeless man with a pocket knife after chasing him into an ABC Store in Lahaina.

Ralph Guarino was placed on four years’ probation as part of his sentence imposed Thursday.

Guarino and the other man had been arguing at 9:14 a.m. Feb. 4 before witnesses saw Guarino chase the victim into the ABC Store at 666 Front St., pull out the knife and stab the victim on the back of his head, said Deputy Prosecutor Annalisa Bernard Lee.

She said the victim fell to the ground and Guarino began assaulting the other man, then fled, with the assault captured on video footage. The victim suffered a laceration and puncture wounds to his head and arms but wasn’t seriously injured, Bernard Lee said.

While she wasn’t able to speak with the victim, Bernard Lee said a police detective reported being familiar with both Guarino and the victim “because of numerous police contacts.”

“These men are very known in the Lahaina area in the homeless camps that they live in,” Bernard Lee said.

She said the detective believed what happened was an isolated incident. “It certainly went way beyond what it should have,” she said.

Guarino had been charged with attempted murder before further investigation resulted in charges of attempted first-degree assault and second-degree assault, Bernard Lee said.

The prosecution dismissed the attempted first-degree assault charge in exchange for Guarino’s no contest plea to second-degree assault.

“We believe that’s fair,” Bernard Lee said.

Defense attorney Kristin Coccaro said Guarino wasn’t denying the dangerousness of his actions, although he did dispute some allegations in the case.

“He absolutely understands he took it to another level,” Coccaro said. “He did admit he could have walked away.”

She said Guarino had problems with the other man in the past.

While Guarino had been living homeless in Lahaina for years, Coccaro said he had no other police contact or arrests before this. “He’s been living peacefully on the west side,” she said.

For a number of years, Guarino successfully ran a bar and cafe he inherited from his father in Las Vegas, Coccaro said. “It was his choice to leave the conventional lifestyle and the rat race and live off his savings,” she said.

Guarino said he planned to return to Boston.

Second Circuit Judge Peter Cahill followed a plea agreement between the defense and prosecution in sentencing Guarino, who has already served much of the jail term.

Cahill said Guarino “can choose to live any life he wants, he just can’t commit crimes.”

As part of his probation, Guarino was ordered not to possess illegal drugs and to complete anger management treatment.