A federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday in the case of Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha’s stolen mailbox after the chief testified about the defendant’s criminal history.

The defendant, Gerard Puana, is the uncle of Kealoha’s wife, Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha. The chief had been called as a prosecution witness.

Puana’s lawyer, First Assistant Federal Defender Alexander Silvert objected when Kealoha made an unsolicited statement that Puana had been charged and convicted of breaking into a neighbor’s home. Silvert said Kealoha should have known better than to bring up information that could unfairly damage his client’s credibility.

U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi agreed that the testimony was inappropriate and declared a mistrial.

The case has drawn attention to a family fight involving Katherine Kealoha, Puana and his 95-year-old mother, Florence Puana, who is Kealoha’s grandmother. The Puana’s are suing Kealoha in state court over proceeds of a reverse mortgage Kealoha arranged on her grandmother’s home.

The case is scheduled to go to trial later this month.

Silvert said he believes the police chief intentionally caused a mistrial to prevent a possible not guilty verdict in the criminal case from affecting his wife’s civil case.

In the criminal case the government says Gerard Puana tore the mailbox from its support post in June 2013, stuck it into a car and drove away. The mailbox was in front of Louis and Katherine Kealoha’s former home in Kahala.

Prosecutors say Puana stole the mailbox in an attempt to access account records that were sent to the residence. The records are connected to the lawsuit.

Katherine Kealoha is on indefinite personal leave from her job as head of the career criminal unit of the Honolulu prosecutor’s office.

Silvert has said the case would reveal improper police procedures such as falsified reports and off-the-books surveillance. Silvert alleges that the Kealohas are framing Puana to discredit him in the lawsuit.

——

The Associated Press contributed to this report.