Overview
- Police say the episode began at a Waikīkī hotel pool when an unknown man approached several children and offered gum and money, and officers identified that man as Batarti Gabbard in a July 17 press release.
- According to police, the children refused after the man asked their names, wrote them in a notebook and walked away, and a 42-year-old witness reported the encounter to authorities.
- Gabbard, 55, was charged with second-degree custodial interference, a misdemeanor, and the custodial-interference case remains in its early investigative and pretrial stages.
- Family members say Gabbard was taken for a psychiatric evaluation and admitted for a 72-hour hold at Queen’s Medical Center, and his wife filed for a protective order citing recent erratic behavior.
- Separately, Gabbard was arrested on a theft charge on July 16, pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on August 14, and the case has drawn wide attention because he is the brother of Tulsi Gabbard and son of state Sen. Mike Gabbard.