The brother of Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s former director of national intelligence, is facing criminal charges after allegedly trying to lure children to a hotel room, authorities said.
Batarti Gabbard was arrested and charged with custodial interference in the second degree on Friday in connection with an incident on July 12, the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) said in a news release.
The police department said it had received a report of a man who allegedly approached a group of children, including a 9-year-old boy, at a Waikīkī hotel pool area at around 2 p.m. on July 12.
The man "offered them gum and money to accompany him to his hotel room,” police said. “He also asked the children for their names and wrote them in a notebook. The children refused, and the man walked away,” police added.
Police said the suspect was “positively identified" as Batarti Gabbard on Friday.
President Donald Trump praised Tulsi Gabbard after she announced her resignation in May, saying she had done "a great job" during her time as intelligence chief. She cited her husband’s cancer diagnosis as the reason for her departure.
Newsweek has contacted Tulsi Gabbard and her father, Hawaii State Senator Mike Gabbard, for further comment via emails sent outside regular business hours on Monday. The Honolulu Police Department has also been contacted for further comment via email.
Batarti Gabbard's History
Batarti Gabbard, 55, whose birth name is Bhakti Gabbard, is the eldest son of Hawaii State Senator Mike Gabbard, a Democrat, and his wife Carol, according to the state senator’s website. The couple have been married since 1968 and have five children—Tulsi Gabbard is their fourth—and 10 grandchildren.
After his arrest, Gabbard and his wife said in a statement that their eldest son, who they said has had mental health problems in the past, had started “acting erratically” several days ago.
“Our oldest son Bhakti has had mental issues in the past but has been doing well for the last 10 years,” the couple said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
“Several days ago, he started acting erratically, as a result of smoking pot. His wife kicked him out of the house, so he’s been sleeping on the streets. He gave away his car to a homeless person; lost his ID and phone and has no money. He’s renamed himself, Batarti, and also Jim Morrison Jr., as he’s having delusions of being a rock star.”
They added that a family member had transported him to Queen’s Hospital for a psychological evaluation on Friday afternoon.
“Bhakti told the doctor they would find cocaine, ice and pot in his blood tests,” they said. “And this evening, he was admitted for a 72-hour hold at Queen’s, while they continue to monitor him and decide next steps.”
Wife Sought Protective Order
Batarti Gabbard’s wife, Kimberley Gabbard, filed a petition for a protective order against him last week. A Newsweek review of online court records shows the petition was rejected on Friday.
According to the Advertiser, she wrote in the petition that she feared for her safety because her husband was “gravely disabled” and had displayed “erratic, impulsive and bizarre behavior” at the Ala Moana Center on July 11.
The newspaper reported that her petition said he had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder with psychotic features and narcissism. She also wrote that he may be mentally ill and using illegal drugs.
She also wrote that she and his family members “have repeatedly encouraged him to seek psychiatric treatment due to his significant deterioration of his mental state and judgment.”
Batarti Gabbard was also arrested and charged with theft on Thursday. He was released after pleading not guilty during an arraignment on Friday and referred to be represented by a public defender, according to court records reviewed by Newsweek. The next hearing in the theft case has been scheduled for August 14.
A court date has not yet been set for the custodial interference offense.