Elderly woman charged with felony after illegal game room arrest

By Shanila Kabir

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — After being arrested last week for running an illegal game room, Juhyun Pak is scheduled to be in court on Thursday.

The 69-year-old woman was charged with a felony, gambling in the second degree.

However, residents near “Ohana Grocery”, where the raid and arrest took place, said this crime does not even concern them. Many said they do not feel unsafe.

“I walk right past here every single day on my way to school. I actually suspected something was going on because recently I’ve been walking past here and seeing police officers,” said Luke Sparreo, Honolulu resident.

A resident driving up Kanoa Street, Trevor Asita, said whenever game rooms get busted, they immediately open right back up. He believes a felony charge is too extreme for gambling.

“It’s just gambling. It’s legal everywhere else, just not here in Hawaii,” said Asita.

This is not the first time police have raided “Ohana Grocery”. In 2020, authorities removed eight gambling machines. Police also conducted a raid there in 2018.

The penalty for illegal gambling has recently been upgraded from a misdemeanor to a class c felony in the islands which means a possible five years in prison.

“When I’m around this area at night especially right outside this building, I walk really fast,” said Juvyln Soriano, Honolulu resident.

Prosecuting attorney Steve Alm believes the new law could deter residents from participating in illegal game room activities and even prevent new game rooms from opening.

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