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A preliminary hearing for a 26-year-old female missionary from the Philippines accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl she befriended last year is scheduled for Friday in Honolulu District Court.
On Thursday, prosecutors charged Kristina Angeles with first-degree sexual assault of a minor younger than 16 years old and three counts of sexual assault of the same victim.
At Angeles’ initial court appearance Friday, District Judge Paula Devens confirmed Angeles’ bail at $75,000 after a court-appointed attorney sought a reduction in the amount. Angeles’ preliminary hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. Friday in District Court.
The alleged assaults occurred in the lounge of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church and at the victim’s home in November, according to court documents.
The victim’s mother reported the incidents to police in February after her daughter wrote her a letter disclosing that she had sexual encounters with the suspect.
Angeles, whose visa was set to expire in April, had been in the islands from the Philippines under the sponsorship of the Waipahu church.
The victim, in a police affidavit, told detectives she met the suspect at church in October and that they became friends.
The victim said "she thought of Kristina as a sister" and thought it was "weird" when Angeles hugged and kissed her.
The suspect was reported missing after failing to return to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in Waipahu on Jan. 30.
Angeles was arrested when she turned herself in at the Pearl City police station Thursday morning.