Bail more than doubled for Kona teen charged with child pornography

A Kona District Court judge has more than doubled the bail of an 18-year-old Kailua-Kona man accused of producing and distributing child pornography.

A grand jury in Kailua-Kona on Wednesday indicted Dominic Alexander Roberts, also known as Dominic Alexander Parker, on 10 counts of promoting child abuse in the first degree, eight counts of promoting child abuse in the second degree and two counts of using a computer to commit promoting child abuse in the second degree.

The crimes are said to have taken place between December 15, 2022 and December 14, 2023.

An arrest warrant attached to the indictment increased Roberts' bail – which had previously been set at $130,000 by prosecutors and confirmed by a district judge – to $290,000.

The warrant also orders Roberts, if he can make bail, to stay away from witnesses in Hawaii, Pennsylvania and Illinois – all identified by initials or online pseudonyms.

He was also banned from owning a smartphone, using the Internet, sending text messages, attending school, and approaching or contacting minors except through legal counsel for representation purposes.

If Roberts is released from custody before the trial begins, he would also be placed under electronic monitoring.

Roberts is being charged because he is an adult, although the investigation into his case began when he was a minor and was conducted by police and federal agents over a period of a year, police said.

According to the complaint, Roberts was in possession of numerous images of adults sexually abusing children and infants, as well as sadomasochistic content depicting a man defecating on an infant, and zoophilia.

He is also accused of producing pornography because he allegedly took a photograph of the genitals of an infant.

Roberts pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday. A jury trial was scheduled for December 10.

He was also ordered to appear in court on September 6 to decide on the prosecutor's request to hold him in custody without bail.

According to the motion, the state fears that “there is a serious risk that (Roberts) will flee or otherwise remain without adequate shelter, that he will attempt to intimidate witnesses, and that he poses a danger to himself or certain individuals involved in the case and the community.”

Promoting child abuse in the first degree is a Class A felony punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison upon conviction; promoting child abuse in the second degree is a Class B felony punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, and using a computer is a Class C felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison.

Roberts remains in custody at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center.

Email John Burnett at [email protected].