Ex-DLNR official denies 30 sex charges

A former Department of Land and Natural Resources official pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Kauai Circuit Court to 30 counts of sex assault — a majority of which are alleged to have occurred when the female victim was a minor.

Tarey Low, a former Kauai branch chief of the DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement and a former Kauai police officer, was indicted on 26 counts of first-degree sexual assault and four counts of third-degree sexual assault. He pleaded not guily to all counts before Circuit Judge Kathleen Watanabe.

His trial is scheduled for Feb. 23.

According to the indictment, the offenses occurred from June 2007 to April. The court document indicated that a majority of assaults allegedly took place when the female was a minor.

Attorney Michael Soong, who is representing Low, said he and his client look forward to trial and that the state has insufficient proof of the allegations.

In a separate case, the victim sought a three-year protective order against Low in April. Both parties agreed to a six-month mutual restraining order, Soong said, when he presented evidence that he planned to use against the alleged victim.

In the protective order case, the victim states that the alleged sexual abuse started when she was 14. She also filed a police report in April accusing Low of sexual abuse.

He denied the allegations.