Grand jury indicts man in Haleiwa store slashing

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday, charging a 54-year-old man who allegedly slashed a grocery store employee’s neck in Haleiwa.

John F. Mayhew was charged in the indictment with attempted second-degree murder for the attack on Jerry Pedro, an assistant manager at Malama Market.

He remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned on May 1 in Circuit Court.

Mayhew stabbed Pedro twice with a small knife at Malama Market on April 18, then dragged the blade across Pedro’s neck, a court document said. Mayhew also repeatedly called Pedro “a vampire,” the document said.

Emergency Medical Services personnel took Pedro, who suffered a lacerated trachea, to The Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition.

Malama Market spokeswoman Sheryl Toda said in an email that Pedro was out of the intensive care unit but remained hospitalized Tuesday.

“He is recovering and will be able to go home soon,” she said. “There has been an outpouring of support from the community, and everyone at Malama Market Haleiwa is so grateful for everyone’s thoughts and prayers for Jerry.”

Mayhew has a criminal record that includes terroristic threatening, harassment, abuse of a family or a household member, assault, assault of a police officer, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.

A mental health court panel indicated Mayhew has schizophrenia, according to court records related to a terroristic threatening case.