A former state Department of Land and Natural Resources official who also is a former Kauai police officer was indicted on 30 counts of sexual assault — a majority of which are alleged to have occurred while the female victim was a minor.
A Kauai grand jury indicted Tarey Low, former Kauai branch chief of the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, on Oct. 9 on 26 counts of first-degree sexual assault and four counts of third-degree sexual assault. Bail was set at $500,000.
Police arrested him the following day and released him Oct. 11 after he posted bail.
Low, of Lawai, is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Kauai Circuit Court before Judge Kathleen Watanabe.
He could not be reached for comment.
The assaults appeared to have involved one female. According to the indictment, the offenses occurred from June 2007 to April. The court document indicated a majority of the assaults allegedly occurred while the victim was under age 18.
Low started as a conservation enforcement officer in April 1990. He became the Kauai branch chief of the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement in November 2001 and retired in June 2009.
Prior to his position with the state, Low was an officer with the Kauai Police Department in the 1980s.
Deborah Ward, spokeswoman of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, declined to comment on the indictment.
Kauai County spokeswoman Sarah Blane and Prosecutor Justin Kollar also declined to comment.
In a separate case, the victim sought a three-year temporary restraining order against Low in April, alleging he sexually abused her.
Low denied the allegations in court. Attorney Michael Soong, who is representing Low in the protective order case, said he presented some evidence that he planned to use against the victim when both parties agreed to a six-month mutual restraining order which expires Nov. 26.
The allegations of sexual abuse are nonsense, said Soong. "There’s no evidence to corroborate this." He claimed the victim has falsely accused another individual of sexual assault in the past.
Of the indictment, Soong said the handling has been outrageous, such as Low’s bail amount at $500,000. "He’s a lifelong resident of Kauai with no prior record," he said.
Attorney Linda Vass, who is representing the victim in the protective order case, could not be reached for comment.
