Woman Who ‘Found’ Baby On Hawaii Beach Granted Custody

A woman who claimed she found a baby on a Hawaii beach was granted custody of the child. In April 2013, Keala Simeona, age 21, claimed she found the infant on Sandy Beach. The 8-pound baby was abandoned immediately after she was born.

Simeiona told authorities she was sitting in the Sandy Beach parking lot at around midnight on April 29. She said she heard several people screaming. However, she waited until they cleared the area before leaving her car and approaching the beach.

When she walked onto the beach she reportedly discovered a newborn baby, which was apparently abandoned. Simejona took the baby to Queen’s Medical Center and told them she found her on the beach. Although the infant was not clothed, she was responsive and in good health.

Local authorities opened an infant abandonment case but they did not identify a suspect. The following day Keala Simeona was arrested and charged with filing a false police report. However, the charges of abandonment and child endangerment were eventually dropped.

On January 17, she plead no contest to filing a false report. Defense attorney Franklin Pacarro Jr. said she apologized for her behavior and has expressed remorse. The mother of two said she simply wants “a chance to take care of [her] children.”

Pacarro said his client is working two jobs to support her children and herself. She has also made plans to further he education.

As reported by Star Advertiser, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Darryl Miyahira suggested a sentence of one year probation and 50 hours community service. He also asked the judge to require Simeona to take parenting classes.

The District Court judge took the recommendation into consideration. However, he eventually sentenced Simeona to 25 hours community service, mandatory mental health counseling, and $130 in fines and costs.

In a separate case, the family court was tasked with determining paternity and custody. Although she eventually admitted the infant was hers, the court was unwilling to grant custody without further investigation and proceedings.

Simeona was determined to be the infant’s biological mother through DNA testing. Huffington Post reports details of the case were kept confidential. However, attorney Pacarro said the court granted Simeona custody of her child.

During a press conference, Pacarro was asked why his client said she found the baby on the beach. He said the young woman simply panicked. Keala Simeona managed to hide her pregnancy from her entire family and when the child was born “she did the best she could do under the circumstances.”