Updated
Updated · Honolulu Star-Advertiser · Jul 18
Batarti Gabbard Charged in Waikiki Child-Luring Case After Allegedly Targeting 9-Year-Old
Updated
Updated · Honolulu Star-Advertiser · Jul 18

Batarti Gabbard Charged in Waikiki Child-Luring Case After Allegedly Targeting 9-Year-Old

3 articles · Updated · Honolulu Star-Advertiser · Jul 18

Summary

  • Honolulu police charged 55-year-old Batarti Gabbard with second-degree custodial interference after a reported Sunday "stranger danger" incident at a Waikiki hotel pool.
  • Police said he offered gum and money to several children, including a 9-year-old boy, to go to his hotel room, asked their names and wrote them in a notebook before they refused and he left.
  • A protective-order petition filed Friday by his wife said he had a psychotic break a day earlier, acted erratically in public and may be mentally ill and using illegal drugs; a Family Court judge denied the request.
  • His parents, state Sen. Mike Gabbard and Carol Gabbard, said he had recently deteriorated after smoking marijuana, admitted possible cocaine, meth and marijuana use at Queen's Hospital, and was placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.

Insights

How did a man in a severe psychotic crisis end up at a family pool instead of in psychiatric care?
Why was a family's plea for a protective order denied just one day before the public incident occurred?