Student excused from class for sex, police say

Honolulu police say Kamehameha Schools assistant band director James Maeda summoned a 15-year-old student out of class on Valentine’s Day to the band room where he had sex with her.

Police say Maeda, who was the girl’s school serv­ice class teacher, sent an email to the girl’s home room teacher asking if the girl could go to the band room. They say the girl told them she met Maeda at the Kapalama campus’ Performing Arts Complex where they had sex. She told them Maeda had bought her breakfast and told her to later meet him in the “Juice Room.”

Those allegations are in an affidavit Honolulu police submitted in support of charges they filed Monday against Maeda.

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Thursday charging Maeda, 23, with 10 counts of first-degree sexual assault and one of third-degree sexual assault. Maeda, a Kamehameha Schools alumnus, turned himself in for booking by state sheriff deputies Friday and was released. He had already posted $450,000 bail and is expected to appear in state court on the charges next Thursday.

According to the indictment, the sexual assaults happened on four dates between June 9 last year, when the girl was 14 years old, and Feb. 14, after the girl turned 15.

Police say the June 9 and Feb. 14 sexual assaults happened at the school. The June 9 incident happened in the percussion room about 45 minutes before the girl was to participate in a school extracurricular activity. The other sexual assaults happened in January at the girl’s home and over summer at Maeda’s home, police said.

They say the girl’s mother confronted her daughter on Feb. 14 after discovering some sex-related text messages on the daughter’s phone and that the girl disclosed her relationship with Maeda.

Kapalama campus Head of School Taran Chun informed parents by letter on Saturday that a faculty member had been placed on indefinite administrative leave after he learned of an “inappropriate relationship” between the faculty member and a student. The letter does not identify the faculty member.

Maeda’s lawyer Richard Sing said he has not seen the police affidavit and cannot comment on the allegations.