Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm warns of man on ‘sexual assault spree’ in downtown Honolulu

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm is warning the public of a man in downtown Honolulu who has been arrested a handful of times this month in a “sexual assault spree.”

Randy Jacobs, 37, has been arrested five times since March 5 for similar incidents. Four of the arrests came after he allegedly “groped women’s breasts and buttocks without their consent,” while the fifth came after he allegedly “grabbed a woman by the arm and attempted to pull her close to him,” the city’s Department of the Prosecuting Attorney said Tuesday in a news release.

The incidents took place in an area between Longs on Bishop Street and the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building. Jacobs’ charges include three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and one count of harassment.

He has not been charged with but is facing another count of fourth-degree sexual assault after being arrested Tuesday.

The prosecuting attorney’s office had argued in court for him to be held in custody or committed to mental health treatment, although District Court judges released him each time because of a Hawaii Supreme Court order from late August discouraging intermittent sentences for cases like Jacobs’. The order was a response to COVID-19 threats in Hawaii’s correctional centers and facilities.

“It is imperative that people like Jacob be held in custody or committed to mental health treatment, whichever is appropriate, in order to protect the public,” Alm said in a statement. “I am calling upon the Supreme Court to amend the Order so innocent people are not re-victimized while their charges are pending,” he continued. “To achieve that, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney will be filing a Motion with the Supreme Court to amend the Order.”