Overview
- Police say a man approached several children at a Waikīkī hotel pool on July 12, asked for their names, wrote them in a notebook and offered gum and money to lure them to a hotel room.
- Honolulu police identified the suspect on July 17 as 55-year-old Batarti (Bhakti) Gabbard and charged him with second-degree custodial interference, a misdemeanor-level offense.
- Family members and filings say Gabbard has a history of mental-health problems, his wife sought a protective order citing erratic behavior, and he was placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold at Queen’s Hospital for evaluation.
- Separately, Gabbard was arrested on a July 16 theft allegation, pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 14; police say he is currently not in custody and no court date has been set for the custodial-interference charge.
- The case has drawn national attention because of Gabbard’s family ties to former DNI Tulsi Gabbard and state Sen. Mike Gabbard, and it raises questions about how authorities and families manage criminal allegations that involve mental-health crises.