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Honolulu's Acting City Prosecutor Enters Crowded Race

Casey Harlow / HPR
Honolulu's acting city prosecutor Dwight Nadamoto announced he is running for city prosecutor in front of Kaahumanu Hale, Monday, March 9, 2020

Honolulu's acting city prosecutor is seeking to fill the office for another four years.

Dwight Nadamoto filed paperwork to run for city prosecutor in December, but officially announced he is running for the position earlier today.

Nadamoto has been the acting city prosecutor since March 2019, when Keith Kaneshiro was put on paid leave. Kaneshiro is the subject of a federal corruption probe. Nadamoto received a subpoena last November to testify before a federal grand jury.

Nadamoto said he decided to run for the office after seeing the current field of candidates.

"I have watched patiently to see who would run," he said. "People who I believe are soft in crime announced their candidacy for city prosecutor."

Nadamoto says he plans to focus on protecting victims of domestic violence, and continue aggresively prosecuting sex traffickers as city prosecutor.

During a press conference, Nadamoto says the office is changing and he has introduced safeguards due to Katherine Kealoha's actions as deputy prosecutor.

Others running for Honolulu prosecutor are former state judge Steve Alm, deputy public defender Jacquelyn Esser, private defense attorney Tae Kim, and former deputy prosecuting attorneys Megan Kau and Robert Brown.

Casey Harlow was an HPR reporter and occasionally filled in as local host of Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
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