A Juneau grand jury handed up four indictments on Friday in connection to a Feb. 14 home invasion with charges that included kidnapping and assault.
Joshua Lehauli, 28, now faces 18 counts since his arrest Feb. 17 following an assault with a metal baseball bat that left a man’s eyes nearly swollen shut, according to a police complaint.
The charges listed in the indictment include two counts of kidnapping, which are unclassified felonies punishable up to 99 years in prison; three counts of first-degree robbery, class A felonies punishable up to 20 years in prison; six counts of second-degree assault with a bat, class B felonies punishable up to 10 years in prison; two counts of third-degree assault with a gun, one count of coercion, first-degree vehicle theft, third-degree misconduct involving weapons and second-degree theft, all of which are class C felonies punishable up to five years in prison.
The Juneau Police Department arrested Lehauli after detectives tied him to a robbery in the 3200 block of Hospital Drive in which he also allegedly held a man at gunpoint while other men took the man’s personal belongings, according to a JPD press release.
Those men have since been identified as Devin Clements, 23; Geoffrey M. Alter, 43; and Anthony B. Kalk, 30, according to the indictment.
Each of these men faces two charges for aiding and abetting during a first-degree robbery, a class A felony punishable up to 20 years in prison, and aiding and abetting during a second-degree theft, a class C felony punishable up to five years in prison.
JPD learned about the attack when the alleged victim sought medical attention the next day at Bartlett Regional Hospital. BRH employees told police at 9:55 a.m. that an assault victim had checked into the emergency room.
Officer’s investigating the scene “found the door to be open, blood on the floor and walls, and overturned furniture consistent with (the victim’s) statements,” JPD Sgt. Dominic Branson wrote in the police complaint. A metal baseball bat with blood on it was also found, the complaint states.
JPD spokesman Lt. David Campbell said in an interview Feb. 18 that officers initially were concentrating on locating Lehauli because he was belived to be the one “calling the shots” during the incident.
Court records online show Lehauli has prior criminal convictions, including a 2008 conviction after he pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge and drunken driving. The drug charge was tied to importing $4,000 worth of cocaine from the Lower 48, Empire archives show.
Past Empire records also indicate Lehauli was convicted in 2006 for punching a woman in the head, twice.
The warrant for Devin’s arrest was issued at $15,000. Online court records show Devin was convicted of second-degree assault in 2013, a class B felony.
Alter’s arrest warrant is set at $10,000, and court records show a history of minor offenses dating back to 1990 that include various moving violations and citations for leaving a dog off lease.
Kalk’s arrest warrant is set at $10,000, and court records show minor offenses and underageed consumption dating back to 2003.
Other indictments
A Juneau grand jury that convened last Friday also issued the following indictments, according to a copy provided to the Empire:
• Unrelated to the home invasion, Lehauli additionally faces two counts of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance, according to a second indictment also issued Friday. Lehauli allegedly possessed heroin and methamphetamine in December.
The charges are classified as class C felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000.
• David Waits, 51, was indicted for two felony counts stemming from a Feb. 16 incident. Waits is charged with second-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief.
Both are class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000.
Waits had a misdemeanor conviction in 2015 for open lewdness, according to CourtView. Various charges for disorderly conduct, assault, larceny, burglary, forgery, criminal mischief and theft have also been filed against Waits’ between 1998 and 2007.
Indictments are not indicative of guilt, but rather formal accusations of illegal activity. The Juneau District Attorney’s Office presents cases to the grand jury each Friday.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
