The city Department of the Prosecuting Attorney hired one of convicted felon Michael Miske’s companies while it was investigating and prosecuting the Honolulu businessman for felony assault and criminal property damage, according to an internal email disclosed by former Deputy Prosecutor Katherine Kealoha.
Kealoha submitted the email in state court last week as part of her effort to block the disclosure of her employment record. The email accompanies written argument by Kealoha’s civil lawyer Kevin Sumida.
Former Honolulu police officer Albert F. Lee subpoenaed Kealoha’s employment record for his defense on charges accusing him of crashing his vehicle into an electrical facility while driving drunk and lying about it to responding officers. He claims he’s being prosecuted in retaliation for crossing
Kealoha. The apparent purpose of the email is to dispute Lee’s claim Kealoha is behind a complaint against him.
The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney submitted Kealoha’s employment file to the court.
Circuit Judge Edward Kubo Jr. said in a hearing last month that it appears Lee is entitled to the file. He’s scheduled to decide Monday whether Lee is entitled to all, some or none of the file. He told Lee’s lawyer Megan Kau, however, that the file does not appear to be complete.
Kealoha is opposing the disclosure of her employment record as a third party since the file belongs to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, not her.
Prosecutor spokesman Brooks Baehr said Kamaaina Plumbing Co. performed emergency repairs to fix leaky pipes and valves in two units of the Prosecutor’s Safe House, formerly known as the Family Justice Center, in March 2015. He said Special Assistant to the Prosecutor Roger Lau selected Kamaaina Plumbing for the job.
Kealoha’s Career Criminal Unit was prosecuting Miske at the time for assault and criminal property damage for a December 2012 incident in an open parking lot near his Restaurant Row nightclub. The case is still pending but is now being prosecuted by the state Department of the Attorney General. Both law enforcement agencies declined to comment on why the Attorney General took over the case.
Lee claims he is being prosecuted because he arrested Miske for fleeing from a traffic stop against Kealoha’s wishes. He said after a subordinate officer had previously tried to arrest Miske, Kealoha called the subordinate and told him to back off. He also said Miske invoked Lau’s name in trying to discourage the officer from arresting him.
Both Kealoha and Miske say they never met each other. Kealoha said she contacted Lee’s subordinate officer at Lau’s request. Sumida describes Lau as Kealoha’s supervisor.
