71 year-old Reuben Lelah of Kailua Kona was sentenced to a 20 years prison term in Kona Circuit Court for the sexual assault of minor that took place between June and December of 2019.

The Court sentenced Lelah to a ten-year prison term for each Sexual Assault in the Second Degree offense and ordered that the sentences be served consecutively for a total of twenty years.

Lelah, who had remained out of custody on $40,000.00 bail for the duration of the proceedings, was ordered to be taken into custody forthwith to begin serving his sentence.

On March 15, 2024, Lelah appeared in Kona Circuit Court where he pleaded “Guilty” to two
counts of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree. Sexual Assault in the Second Degree is a class B
felony offense which carries a maximum penalty of a ten-year prison term.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Annaliese Wolf.

Photo credit: Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney