School employee who fondled boy avoids prison time

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A former educational assistant at Salt Lake Elementary School who fondled a 10-year-old boy has been sentenced to probation after a judge rejected pleas from the boy's family to give the man the maximum sentence.

Greg Hirashiki could have received as many as five years in prison for putting his hands in the child's pants and fondling the child's genitals, which a prosecutor says happened on three separate occasions during school hours.

The mother of the victim said Hirashiki deserves the maximum for what he did to her child.

"My son was such a carefree person, and because of this incident he, is no longer this carefree loving person anymore," said the boy's mother, who is not being identified to protect the child's privacy. "He's just sheltered, he's closed now, because of what happened, because of what he did.

"I can't express how sick I feel because we trusted him with him," she added.

The prosecuting attorney says Hirashiki violated the boy's trust in the worst possible way.

"In school, their son would go to the defendant's classroom during breaks, lunch, recess, after school, and spend time with him," said Rochelle Vidinha.

Hirashiki, who pleaded no contest to the charges, voluntarily entered treatment as a sex offender, his attorney said.

"I accept responsibility for my actions," Hirashiki said. "I'm extremely remorseful. I apologize to the family, the (Department of Education) and the court. Nothing like this will ever happen again."

In the end, Judge Dean Ochiai sided with Hirashiki's attorney, who argued against the maximum sentence.

"Do I think if I put Mr Hirashiki on probation that I will see him again? I don't think so," Ochiai said. "But I will put, on probation, Mr. Hirashiki on very tight terms and conditions."

Copyright 2017 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.