Former Youth Challenge employee sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual assault

A 44-year-old Keaau man was sentenced last week by Hilo District Judge Henry Nakamoto to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a then-minor girl on the Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy campus in Hilo six years ago.

A jury last year found Paul Andrew Banasihan Jr. guilty of three counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of attempted second-degree sexual assault and four counts of fourth-degree sexual assault.

Most of the crimes occurred on April 17, 2018, but some occurred as early as February 1, 2018, according to court records.

Banasihan was also sentenced to five years in prison for methamphetamine possession in an unrelated incident on May 19, 2020. The sentence runs concurrently with the ten-year prison sentence.

Banasihan must register as a sex offender.

“We commend the bravery and bravery of the witnesses, the hard work and dedication of our police, prosecutors, investigators, victim witness unit and support staff,” District Attorney Kelden Waltjen said in a statement.

The victim – a Youth Challenge cadet who was 16 or 17 at the time – reported Banasihan removed her from the classroom, took her to his personal vehicle, which was parked at the Youth Challenge campus, and sexually assaulted her.

The Youth Challenge Program is a National Guard program designed to support at-risk youth through a five-month, military-style residential program. Cadets, who are male and female high school dropouts, study to earn their high school equivalency certificates while also completing physical training and performing community service.

Banasihan was a cadre of the quasi-military program for at-risk youth. In U.S. military terminology, a cadre is a group or member of a group of leaders, particularly in units that operate formal training schools. A spokesman for the National Guard said at the time of the crime that the cadre personnel were primarily retired military personnel and current members of the National Guard.

Email John Burnett at [email protected].