Maui jury convicts Lahaina man of 16 counts of child sex assault

News admin July 21, 2026 0 Comments

Maui jury convicts Lahaina man of 16 counts of child sex assault

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Maui jury convicted a Lahaina man on 16 counts of sexual assault against a child on Thursday following a two-week trial.

On July 16, a 2nd Circuit Court jury found Roberto Omar Morales Andrade guilty of eight counts of sexual assault in the first degree and eight counts of sexual assault in the third degree.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning a unanimous guilty verdict on all counts.

At trial, the jury heard evidence that the defendant, who was in a relationship with a relative of the victim and lived in the same household as the victim, used his position of trust and access to isolate and repeatedly abuse the child over a span of nearly four years, beginning in 2014 when she was 9 years old and continuing until she was 13.

Court documents said he took advantage of periods when the child was home alone to carry out the abuse, telling her not to tell her mother and that no one would believe her if she told anyone.

Officials said a family member eventually discovered the ongoing abuse through a text message the child sent to her then-boyfriend, which led to a report to law enforcement and the charges in this case. The abuse began with acts of manipulation before escalating over time to increasingly severe sexual contact.

“I want to acknowledge the bravery and courage of this victim for coming forward, taking the stand and testifying against her abuser,” said County of Maui Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin. “This verdict is justice for her and her family and represents our department’s continuing dedication to ensuring justice on behalf of survivors of child sexual assault.”

Following the verdict, Morales Andrade, 49, of Lahaina, was remanded into custody on $500,000 bail pending sentencing. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 12, 2026.