Teacher not guilty of sexual assaults

By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer

A Circuit Court jury yesterday acquitted a former Mililani Middle School counselor who was tried on charges he sexually assaulted two 14-year-old girls at the school.

The jury deliberated for about eight hours over two days before finding Allan Sagayaga, 36, not guilty of two counts of third-degree sexual assault.

One of the girls accused Sagayaga of hugging and kissing her and fondling her breast in March 2001. The other girl said he hugged and kissed her and touched her buttock in February 2001.

Sagayaga took the stand in his own defense during the week-long trial, and denied the incidents ever took place. He said that one of the girls kissed him but he pushed her away and told her her actions were inappropriate.

Keith Shigetomi, Sagayaga's lawyer, maintained during the trial that both girls were lying and that the second girl came forward only after seeing new media reports of the first girl's accusations.

During his closing argument to the jury on Tuesday, Shigetomi said the stories told by the two girls, who are friends, were too much alike.

Shigetomi said he was pleased with the verdict. "I thought it was the right one, based on the facts presented at trial," he said.