Documents reveal details of fugitive's arrest
SANDPOINT — Court documents on file in Hawaii are revealing the circumstances surrounding the arrest of a Bonner County fugitive who was on the lam for more than three years.
Stephen Robert Reiling pulled a disappearing act in 2012, shortly before he was to stand trial in 1st District Court on a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor.
Reiling's flight from the Idaho charge ended on March 5, when he was arrested at a Starbucks coffee shop in Hilo, according to Hawaiian court records. Reiling was being sought for arrest on allegations that he sexually assaulted and battered a former girlfriend during a dispute along the Queen Kaahumanu Highway near Kailua-Kona on Feb. 16.
The former girlfriend told police that Reiling said he was going to rape her and tried removing her pants. When she resisted, Reiling allegedly slammed her onto the rocky ground, causing bruising and lacerations.
The woman, 46, told officers that Reiling forcefully grabbed her breasts, pulled her pants down and touched her genitalia. She said she broke off the assault by kicking, scratching and screaming for help. Reiling rode off on a bike and the woman reported the incident to police.
Reiling was using the alias Ken Starr. When officers caught up to him, he denied being or knowing a Ken Starr and claimed he was Jack Hammer, the arrest report said. Reiling eventually admitted that he was Starr.
Reiling identified himself as a 47-year-old student of Ohio State University with no permanent address in Hilo, court records indicate. He was arrested on charges of fourth-degree sexual assault and abuse of a household member. He declined to give a statement to police, court records show.
Reiling's ruse finally unraveled on March 7 when fingerprints collected during his arrest matched with fingerprints on file with the Bonner County Sheriff's Office.
It's unclear when Reiling will be returned to Idaho. Reiling, according to the Hawai'i Judiciary website, waived his right to an extradition hearing, meaning he would not resist being returned to Idaho.
Reiling, 57, was accused in 2011 of fondling the genitals of a Sagle girl in 2003, when she was 8-9 years old. Reiling repeatedly denied any specific wrongdoing when he was questioned by a sheriff's detective, but did admit to touching the girl and said he had an emotional connection to the child, according to preliminary hearing testimony. He also wrote a letter of apology to the girl.
The alleged victim testified of the incident during the hearing and Reiling was bound over to stand trial. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was free on a $50,000 bond at the time of his disappearance.
Reiling's supporters contended that he fled Bonner County because he did not believe he would receive a fair trial.
Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall successfully moved to increase Reiling's bail to $1 million, court records show.