Comedian Bu La'ia receives probation
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HILO, Hawai'i — Comedian and Office of Hawaiian Affairs candidate Shawn Kaui Hill, better known as Bu La'ia, was sentenced to probation and community service yesterday for resisting arrest in an altercation at a Hilo store.
Deputy Prosecutor Jason Skier said Hill, who lives on Maui, was visiting the Big Island on March 31 when he got into an argument with people at a Hilo flooring store. He began throwing items at workers but didn't injure anyone, Skier said.
Hill
Police arrived and arrested Hill, who tried to flee after he had been handcuffed. Officers caught him a short distance away, Skier said.
Hill, 38, yesterday told Hilo Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura that he had sought mental-health counseling since the incident.
"My take on this from talking to the victims was that it was kind of a joke on his part, but nobody realized who he was until after he was already under arrest," Skier said.
Hill originally was charged with second-degree escape and spent 25 days in jail when he couldn't post bail. As part of a plea agreement, he entered pleas to two counts of harassment and resisting arrest.
Nakamura sentenced Hill to a year of probation and 100 hours of community service, and ordered him to undergo a mental-health and drug-abuse assessment.
Earlier this month, Hill, a candidate for an at-large seat on the OHA board of trustees, was acquitted of assault and terroristic threatening charges stemming from a Nov. 18 confrontation at his Kula home when Maui Humane Society officers tried to impound his dogs.
Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.
