Hawaii man charged in cow bone attack on Christmas Eve

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A preliminary hearing was scheduled Thursday on the Big Island in Hawaii for Kona resident Gregory Haas, who police said attacked four men with a large cow bone outside of a bar on Christmas Eve.

One of the men had to be airlifted to Oahu and was initially hospitalized in critical condition, Deputy Hawaii County prosecutor Joyce Seelen told The Times.

A judge in Kona was to determine at Thursday’s hearing whether there was sufficient evidence to hold Haas, 45, on three counts of second-degree assault and one count of first-degree assault. The more serious charge carries a potential prison term of up to 10 years.

Police said they were called to the Rock Starz bar in Kailua-Kona shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 24 and found Haas detained outside by several patrons who said he had attacked four men with what appeared to be the femur bone of a cow.

The most seriously injured, Shadley Haynes, 40, was struck in the head and critically injured, Seelen said. He subsequently improved and was returned to medical care on the Big Island, she said. The other three men were treated and released for various minor injuries, including lacerations to one man’s head, according to the police news release.

Hawaii Police Lt. Gerald Wike told the Associated Press that Haas apparently found the bone in a pasture near Kona. ‘This is the first that I have experienced an assault taking place with what appears to be an animal bone,’ he said.

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-- Kim Murphy