On April 2, a Puna muay thai coach was handed a 20-year prison term for sexually assaulting one of his students, a girl who was 13 when the abuse started. Bryan Flores, 45, was sentenced in Hilo Circuit Court, closing a case that prosecutors say stretched from 2019 through 2022 while he was training the minor. Flores had entered a guilty plea in October 2025 and will now begin serving his sentence.
According to Big Island Now, the judge chose the maximum sentence allowed, 20 years in prison, ordered Flores to register as a sex offender, and had him taken into custody on the spot to start serving his time. The outlet also reports that Flores had been free on a $370,000 bond for most of the proceedings.
Flores pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault on Oct. 1, 2025, a Class A felony that carries a statutory maximum of 20 years, as detailed by Hawaii News Now. That plea came after an indictment and a multi-year investigation into allegations that the coach abused a minor in his care.
Local coverage indicates the alleged victim was 13 when the abuse began and that incidents continued through 2022 while Flores served as the minor’s muay thai coach, according to KITV. Prosecutors initially brought charges in late 2023, and the case moved through arraignment and plea hearings before the October admission of guilt.
Investigation and prosecution
The Hawai‘i Police Department’s Puna Patrol and the Area I Juvenile Aid Section led the felony investigation, and Hawai‘i County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ha‘aheo Kahoʻohalahala handled the prosecution, Big Island Now reports. According to authorities, detectives and victim advocates worked together over several years to build the case.
Support for survivors
The County of Hawai‘i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and local outlets urge anyone affected by sexual assault to get to a safe place and call a trusted friend or relative; survivors can report an assault to 9-1-1 or contact the YWCA Hawai‘i Island 24-hour Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline at (808) 935-0677, according to KITV. Local victim advocates can also connect survivors with counseling and advocacy services.
Legal fallout
Because Flores pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault, a Class A felony, he faced the statutory maximum of 20 years, and the sentence he received reflects that maximum; he was also ordered to register as a sex offender, Hawaii News Now notes. Court records will document the conviction, and any future appeals or post-conviction filings will be a matter of public record.
