A preliminary hearing is scheduled to be held in
3rd Circuit Court today for a 64-year-old Hilo man accused of sexually assaulting a 32-year-old, mentally disabled woman.
Louis Sardis was charged with three counts of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of third-degree sexual assault. Sardis is expected to appear in court and remains in custody at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $49,000 bail.
According to a court document, Sardis is employed as a therapist support for Arc of Hilo, a nonprofit organization at 1099 Waianuenue Ave. that assists clients with developmental or other types of disabilities.
Deputy prosecutor Glenn Shiigi said Sardis was allegedly transporting the victim to an undisclosed location at the time of the assault.
Police said a man approached a suspicious white van parked on Melekule Street in the Orchidlands Estates section of Puna around 6:30 a.m. Friday and saw a man later identified as Sardis allegedly sexually assaulting the woman.
Police were called and officers arrested Sardis. At the time of his arrest, Shiigi said Sardis confessed to police that he committed the sexual acts.
The victim is mentally and physically disabled. Shiigi said she is confined to a wheelchair and unable to give consent, which police said Sardis was aware of.
According to a court document, Sardis is married with children and has no prior arrests.
In an e-mailed statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Wednesday, Debbie Perkins, president and chief executive officer of the Arc of Hilo, said, “The Arc has suspended Mr. Sardis from his position and all duties associated with his employment with the Arc.”
“The Arc will continue to fully cooperate with the Hawaii County Police Department and the Prosecuting Attorney in its investigation and prosecution of this matter,” Perkins said.
As required by state law, the nonprofit organization reported the assault to Hawaii Adult Protective Services.
Perkins said the organization plans to send a letter to families of Arc clients to inform them of the charges against Sardis. The letter is expected to be posted on the organization’s website.
“The safety and well-being of our clients is always the highest priority in our organization. As we indicated in our communication home to families, we will be working to support all of our clients and families in coping with this incident,” Perkins added.
Anna Koethe, spokeswoman of the state Department of Health, said the Developmental Disabilities Division is investigating the case.
