One of the candidates for the City Council’s 6th District is watching much of the election season go by from a Kalihi jail cell.

Carlton N. Middleton, 53, has been in Oahu Community Correctional Center since Aug. 9, when police arrested him for allegedly violating an injunction ordering him to stay away from a woman who lives in the same Maunakea Street apartment building as him. Middleton had developed friction with the neighbor and her family over several months.

Neither Middleton nor his newly appointed court attorney, Emmanuel Guerrero, could be reached for comment yesterday.

Middleton has been a member of the Downtown Neighborhood Board since 2005, and he lists himself as a small-business owner and longtime volunteer at the state Capitol.

An advocate for the homeless, he has run unsuccessfully for the state Senate and House.

Middleton was charged in June with harassing the woman, and he is due to appear in Honolulu District Court on that matter Sept. 15, three days before the primary election. He was jailed on June 29 on the charge and then released on July 6.

But on Aug. 8 Middleton allegedly violated a three-year order that prohibited him from coming within 15 feet of the woman, sending him back to OCCC, where he has been since.

Harassment is a petty misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to 30 days. Violating an injunction order carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison.

The woman who filed the harassment claim against Middleton declined comment and asked that her family’s name not be published out of fear of retribution from Middleton or any friends he might have.

In a court affidavit filed June 29, the woman wrote that Middleton has harassed her, screamed at her within an inch of her face and pushed her, including when she was pregnant and in the presence of her children.

His next court appearance will be in District Court on Tuesday in connection with the alleged injunction violation.

Middleton is one of 10 candidates running to replace Councilman Rod Tam, who has reached his two-term limit for the seat.

The 6th District covers the section of urban Honolulu from the western end of Makiki to parts of Kalihi.