Man, 73, to be tried in threats to boys, dog

A 73-year-old man will be heading to trial for allegedly threatening to shoot a 41-year-old man, his two young sons and a service dog last week in Waikiki.

On Wednesday, Claude Vedel of Waikiki appeared in Honolulu District Court where Judge Lono Lee confirmed a first-degree terroristic threatening charge against him and sent his case to Circuit Court. Vedel is scheduled to appear in Circuit Court on Jan. 19.

Vedel remained at Oahu Community Correctional Center on Thursday, unable to post $15,000 bail.

Vedel’s attorney, public defender Ed Harada, asked Lee to dismiss the charge against his client because Vedel wasn’t making a threat he could carry out.

“He had no weapon,” Harada said. “He had nothing that looked like a weapon. He was mouthing off, apparently.”

He didn’t know why Vedel, an artist from France who has resided in Hawaii for years, was bothered by the 14-year-old boy’s service dog, and he didn’t have information about the boy.

“I don’t believe the charges are well founded,” Harada said. “I think it amounted to overreaction on the complainant’s part.”

The incident began when the teen, his 7-year-old brother, his father and his dog were standing at Ala Moana Boulevard and Ena Road, waiting to cross the street at about 6 p.m. Saturday.

Vedel told the teen, “I hate your service dog,” according to a police affidavit filed in District Court. The boy ignored Vedel and walked to a concrete island at the intersection where Vedel approached again and said, “I hate your service dog, and I’m going to shoot all of you,” the affidavit said.

Vedel pointed individually at the teen and the man and told each that he was going to shoot them. Then he said he was also going to shoot the dog, the affidavit said. He stood about 1 foot away when he made the threats.

The family told police they felt scared for their lives and thought Vedel was going to harm them.

Police found Vedel about 10 minutes later near the intersection and arrested him for investigation of first-degree terroristic threatening, a Class C felony, punishable by five years in prison.