Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
A 22-year-old male soldier and a 25-year-old woman were arrested last month on suspicion of first-degree assault of a child, and the Department of Human Services has removed the 3-year-old victim from their Schofield Barracks home.
"The child has been removed from his parents’ home and is safe," and the department is investigating the case, DHS said in an email response to Star-Advertiser questions. DHS officials would not release further details about the case.
Honolulu police said the victim is a boy who has suffered life-threatening injuries linked to "severe abuse and neglect." Authorities would not say whether the boy was hospitalized.
The alleged abuse and neglect occurred in Wahiawa from early October to late January, according to police information provided to the media.
A Honolulu Police Department detective arrested the man and woman at the Wahiawa police station on March 25. They were released about two hours later without charges.
"This case is complicated due to a number of different factors," HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said, adding that police are continuing to investigate the case.
Army officials said they are aware of the case and are cooperating with Honolulu police.
DHS spokeswoman Kayla Rosenfeld said reporting suspected child abuse is mandatory for military base counselors, physicians and school officials. While military police are urged to report abuse to the state, they are not required to do so, she said.
U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii’s procedure is that suspected child abuse cases are reported to the military police and the local Army Family Advocacy Program, which notifies the state DHS’ Child Welfare Services.
