Honolulu Police Charge Man In Waikiki Child Case

A “stranger danger” case in Waikiki is now testing how Hawaii handles threats to children and raises hard questions about mental health, drugs, and personal responsibility in a politically connected family.

Story Snapshot

Tulsi Gabbard’s brother was arrested after allegedly offering kids gum and cash to follow him to his hotel room.
Honolulu police charged him with second-degree custodial interference, a misdemeanor under Hawaii law.
A witness says he wrote children’s names in a notebook before leaving; the kids refused to go.
His family says he was in a drug-fueled mental health crisis and was placed in psychiatric care.

Police say cash and gum were used to try to lure kids to a hotel room

Honolulu police opened their “stranger danger” investigation on July 12, 2026, after a report from a Waikiki hotel pool area around 2 p.m. Officers say a man, later identified as **Batarti “Bhakti” Gabbard**, allegedly walked up to several children, including a 9-year-old boy, and offered them **gum and money** if they would go with him to his hotel room. Police say he also asked for the children’s names and wrote them down in a notebook before walking away when they refused. The children did not follow him, and no physical harm has been reported.

A 42-year-old woman at the pool saw the interaction and reported it to police, triggering the investigation. After several days of work, Honolulu police say they positively identified Gabbard as the suspect in the case. On July 17, officers arrested the 55-year-old and charged him with **custodial interference in the second degree**. Local coverage describes the case plainly as an alleged attempt to lure children to a Waikiki hotel room, echoing the details released in the police update. These reports form the public record of what investigators say happened at the pool that Sunday.

What second-degree custodial interference means under Hawaii law

Hawaii does not use a special “luring” statute for this type of allegation; instead, prosecutors turned to the state’s custodial interference law. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes section 707-727, second-degree custodial interference is committed when a person “intentionally or knowingly takes, entices, conceals, or detains a minor knowing that the person has no right to do so.” It is a **misdemeanor**, with a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine if the conduct happened within the state. Legal analysis notes that Hawaii treats the *enticement* of a minor without any custody right as a form of interfering with parental custody, even if the child never leaves the area.

This pattern means actions that look like child luring in other states can end up charged as custodial interference in Hawaii’s system. In this case, police and local media say Gabbard did not physically take any child, because they refused to go with him, but his alleged offers of gum and cash are treated as an attempt to entice. For parents, the key point is simple: the law is designed to protect their custody rights when a stranger tries to draw their kids away, even if the attempt fails. The misdemeanor label does not change the serious nature of the accusation for families or for the defendant.

Family points to drugs and mental health; legal case continues

After news of the arrest broke, the Gabbard family publicly addressed the case, saying their son and brother was in the middle of a serious mental health crisis. State Senator Mike Gabbard told Hawaii News Now his son had been taken to Queen’s Hospital emergency room for a **psychiatric evaluation** and was held for 72 hours while doctors assessed him. Family statements say he had been on a drug binge, including marijuana and methamphetamine, and describe the incident as part of a “mental health episode” rather than planned predatory behavior. They also say he had been stable for roughly ten years before this spiral.

🚨 BREAKING: Details Emerge in Hawaii Incident Involving Tulsi Gabbard’s Brother

Batarti "Bhakti" Gabbard, 55 the older brother of former Director of National Intelligence and Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been officially charged following a "stranger danger"… pic.twitter.com/d31eoS33Ni

— Amy Leigh (@IAmyLeigh) July 20, 2026

Coverage of court proceedings notes that Gabbard also faced a separate theft misdemeanor and entered a **not guilty** plea in that case. Reporting indicates he is being charged with custodial interference for the Waikiki pool incident, and he remains in custody on that count while the legal process plays out. At this stage, there is no public court date set for the custodial interference charge and no detailed defense filing laying out his version of events. That leaves the official police narrative on one side and family claims of a drug-linked mental break on the other, with the courts yet to weigh the evidence.

Why this case matters for parents and for honest debate

For parents and grandparents, the core concern is clear: a stranger at a hotel pool allegedly tried to tempt kids to a private room with **gum and cash**, then wrote their names in a notebook. The children did the right thing by saying no and walking away, and a nearby adult took the next right step by calling police. That quick action let officers step in before any child disappeared, showing how vital alert bystanders are in protecting kids. The law then stepped in under Hawaii’s custodial interference statute to address the alleged enticement.

This case also shows how claims of mental health struggles and drug use can collide with public fears about child safety. The Gabbard family’s statements ask the public to see their relative as a patient in crisis, not as a predator, while police documents frame the same actions as criminal enticement of minors. For conservatives who value both personal responsibility and compassion, the facts raised so far point to two needs: strong, clear laws that protect children from any attempt to lure them away, and honest handling of drug and mental health issues so they are not used as a shield when serious lines are crossed.