A Paia man who had been released from jail to perform with reggae artist Matisyahu in Hollywood is headed back to a prison cell for five years after violating his probation a second time.
Clint “Kekoa” Alama, 27, admitted to multiple violations of his second felony probation, including failing to pay fees or complete anger management or substance abuse treatment and continuing to test positive for illicit substances.
His admission came after speaking with his attorney and a bench conference with 2nd Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo. Alama was facing several motions alleging non-compliance submitted by Deputy Prosecutor Jeffery Temas.
According to one of the motions filed last month, a police officer saw Alama “highly intoxicated” at 1 a.m. Sept. 17. He was arrested last month on a $500,000 warrant.
Police officers were making checks in the parking lot behind a crowded Charley’s bar in Paia near closing time when they sought to move along people who were loitering in the parking lot, according to a police incident report.
When Alama was asked to leave the parking lot “due to his obvious belligerent, loud behavior and loitering (making other folks obviously uncomfortable), he became very belligerent with officers and uncooperative,” according to police.
Alama, who is also known as Clint Alama-Barido, was described as “highly intoxicated, with red watery eyes, slurred speech and an overwhelming odor of liquor emanating from his breath.”
The officers demanded that Alama leave and he eventually did, police said. He was told he would be arrested if he returned that night while intoxicated. Alama “staggered off the property while shouting insults to police,” the report said.
He didn’t return that night.
Hours earlier, on the morning of Sept. 16, Alama was in court for a hearing on allegations that he had violated his probation for a second time. The hearing was delayed to allow Alama to enter a drug treatment program. Before he left court, he again was ordered not to consume alcohol as part of his release on bail.
Deputy Public Defender William “Pili” McGrath asked the court to resentence Alama to probation, but Temas called for prison time, arguing that he should not get the privilege of another round of probation.
Loo acknowledged the case was Alama’s second probation revocation, with violations nearly identical to the first. She sentenced Alama to the five-year term.
Alama was invited to perform with Matisyahu on Aug. 12 at the Hollywood Palladium after the singer and his bassist Stu Brooks heard Alama playing his ukulele and strumming Matisyahu’s hit “One Day” at a Maui coffee shop.
Matisyahu sang along, and Brooks filmed the impromptu duet, which was widely viewed on the internet.
Because Alama turned himself in and was jailed on a warrant for probation violation, a judge granted him supervised release from Aug. 11 to 13 so he could perform at the concert.
Afterward, he returned to the Maui Community Correctional Center before friends posted a $50,000 bail bond so he could be released Aug. 29.
Alama was placed on five years’ probation in May 2013 for unauthorized entry into a dwelling and second-degree assault. In March 2015, he admitted he violated his probation and was resentenced to another five-year term of probation.
* Chris Sugidono can be reached at csugidono@mauinews.com.
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