HONOLULU — The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney announced Tuesday it had charged 46-year-old Mitchel Miyashiro with negligent homicide in the first degree and other offenses for the deadly hit-and-run of 16-year-old Sara Yara. 

What You Need To Know

  • Mitchel Miyashiro was charged with negligent homicide in the first degree, collisions involving death or serious bodily injury, collisions involving bodily injury and driving without a license

  • Sara Yara, a 16-year-old McKinley student, was walking in a marked crosswalk on Kapiolani Boulevard on Feb. 15 when she was allegedly struck by a speeding pickup truck

  • Negligent homicide in the first degree and collisions involving death or serious bodily injury are class B felonies, which are punishable by up to 10 years in prison

  • However, if convicted, the prosecuting attorney plans to invoke Kaulana’s Law, which allows for a 20-year sentence for a driver who does not remain at the scene of a fatal crash to render aid

The McKinley student was walking in a marked crosswalk on Kapiolani Boulevard at Kamakee Street on Feb. 15 when she was allegedly struck by a pickup truck that was speeding. After Yara was struck, the driver of the pickup truck fled the scene without rendering aid. 

Miyashrio was charged through a process called “Information Charging” when a prosecutor presents written information to a judge who decides if the charges are warranted. 

He was also charged with collisions involving death or serious bodily injury, collisions involving bodily injury and driving without a license. 

“We would like to thank Sara Yara’s family and the broader community for their patience while waiting for these charges,” said Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm. “As much as we would like to file charges quickly, it is more important to get the job done right than to get it done fast. Negligent homicide cases require a lot of investigation to be done and forensic evidence to be collected and analyzed. We must work with police to build a solid case before we file charges, and we believe we have done that in this case. We thank HPD for its tireless work.”

Negligent homicide in the first degree and collisions involving death or serious bodily injury are class B felonies, which are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. However, if Miyashiro is convicted of negligent homicide in the first degree, the prosecuting attorney plans to invoke Kaulana’s Law, which allows for a 20-year sentence for a driver who does not remain at the scene of a fatal crash to render aid. 

“It’s pretty simple. If you don’t have a license, you do not belong on the road. And if you have a license, you must obey traffic laws and drive with aloha. We can prevent so many tragedies from happening by slowing down and being cautious,” Alm added.

Bail is set at $250,000 for Miyashiro.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.