An 18-year-old Kailua-Kona man is in custody facing ten counts related to child pornography.
Dominic Alexander Roberts, also known as Dominic Alexander Parker, was arrested late Monday afternoon and charged with first-degree promotion of child abuse, eight counts of second-degree promotion of child abuse, and two counts of use of a computer to commit second-degree promotion of child abuse.
According to the complaint, Roberts was in possession of numerous images of adults sexually abusing children and infants, as well as sadomasochistic content depicting a man defecating on an infant, and zoophilia.
He is also accused of producing pornography because he allegedly took a photograph of the genitals of an infant.
The crimes are said to have taken place between December 15, 2022 and December 14, 2023.
Deputy District Attorney Annaliese Wolf has filed a motion requesting that Roberts be held in custody without the possibility of release on bail.
According to the motion, the state fears that “there is a serious risk that (Roberts) will flee or otherwise remain without adequate shelter, that he will attempt to intimidate witnesses, and that he poses a danger to himself or certain individuals involved in the case and the community.”
At Roberts’ first court hearing on Tuesday, Assistant Public Defender Lezlie Kiaha asked that the court release the teenager under supervision – a form of non-cash bail – or alternatively place him under house arrest with electronic monitoring or reduce his bail.
Wolf noted that she had filed a motion to hold Roberts without bail.
Kona District Judge Ann Datta kept Roberts’ bail at $130,000 and ordered him to appear in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing and a hearing on prosecutors’ request to hold him in custody without bail.
Promoting child abuse in the first degree is a Class A felony punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison upon conviction; promoting child abuse in the second degree is a Class B felony punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, and using a computer is a Class C felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison.
Roberts remains in custody at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at [email protected]
