Batarti Gabbard, the 55-year-old older brother of former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, faces a custodial interference charge after police say he approached children at a Waikīkī hotel pool and tried to coax them to his room.
Honolulu police charged Gabbard with second-degree custodial interference following what the department classified as a "Stranger Danger Incident" at the pool area of a Waikīkī hotel on July 12. Officers say Gabbard walked up to several children, including a 9-year-old boy, asked their names, wrote them down in a notebook, and offered money and gum if they would come with him to his hotel room. The children refused. Gabbard walked away. A 42-year-old woman who witnessed the encounter reported the incident to police.
Four days later, on July 16, Gabbard was arrested again, this time on theft charges. He pleaded not guilty and was released from custody. A court date for the theft case is set for Aug. 14. No court date has been scheduled yet for the custodial interference charge.
The Honolulu Police Department's own press release described the July 12 episode in blunt terms. Breitbart reported that the department's statement read:
"On July 12, 2026, Honolulu police opened an investigation after receiving a report of a stranger danger incident that occurred at a Waikīkī hotel pool area."
The charge, second-degree custodial interference, covers conduct involving the unauthorized taking or luring of a minor. The hotel where the incident took place has not been publicly identified. Police confirmed Gabbard is no longer in custody.
The timeline raises its own questions. Gabbard allegedly approached the children on July 12, was charged with custodial interference in connection with that incident, and then four days later was picked up on an unrelated theft charge. The nature of the theft has not been disclosed. Whether the two incidents are connected in any way remains unclear.
Batarti Gabbard's parents, including Hawaii state Sen. Mike Gabbard, acknowledged their son's troubles but pointed to drugs and mental illness rather than predatory intent. In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, the elder Gabbard declined to discuss the specific allegations but confirmed his son was receiving medical and psychiatric treatment.
"We love him, and asked him to follow the protocol at the hospital, which he says he will do."
Mike Gabbard added a second plea:
"We're praying for his speedy recovery, and would appreciate the prayers of others."
A fuller family statement, reported separately, filled in more background. Gabbard's parents said their oldest son, born Bhakti Gabbard, "has had mental issues in the past but has been doing well for the last 10 years." They attributed the breakdown to marijuana use, saying he "started acting erratically, as a result of smoking pot." He was admitted to a hospital for a 72-hour psychiatric hold.
The family's framing puts the incident in the category of a mental health crisis, not criminal intent. That distinction may matter in court. But it does not change the facts police documented: a grown man, alone, approaching other people's children at a hotel pool, writing down their names, and offering inducements to get them to follow him to a private room.
Fox News Digital reached out to Tulsi Gabbard through her public office and left a voicemail requesting comment. She did not immediately respond. Gabbard stepped down as Director of National Intelligence earlier this year after her husband received a rare cancer diagnosis.
Her departure from the intelligence post came amid a turbulent stretch. Policy disagreements with the White House and aggressive political attacks from Democrats who sought to weaponize her family's personal difficulties had already made her final weeks in office difficult.
Whether Batarti Gabbard's legal troubles will generate a fresh round of political commentary aimed at his sister remains to be seen. It should not. A sibling's criminal charge is not a political argument. But in Washington, that line gets crossed routinely, and Tulsi Gabbard's critics have shown little restraint in the past.
The broader Gabbard family has deep roots in Hawaii politics. Mike Gabbard has served in the state Senate for years. Tulsi Gabbard appeared publicly at Arlington National Cemetery alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shortly before her resignation, honoring a Gold Star widow's Memorial Day request.
Several facts remain unresolved. No attorney for Batarti Gabbard has been identified or quoted. The "protocol at the hospital" referenced by his father has not been explained. Police have not said how many children in total were approached, the report references "several" but identifies only one, the 9-year-old boy.
It is also unclear whether Gabbard was formally arrested in connection with the July 12 custodial interference charge or only charged after the fact. The source distinguishes between "charged" for the pool incident and "arrested" for the July 16 theft, but does not clarify whether a separate arrest occurred on July 12.
The intelligence community has since moved on from Gabbard's tenure. Jay Clayton drew bipartisan praise as the administration's pick to lead national intelligence after her exit.
Batarti Gabbard's next scheduled court appearance is Aug. 14 for the theft case. The custodial interference charge, the more serious matter, has no court date yet. Honolulu police say he is out of custody.
Mental illness deserves compassion. Children at a hotel pool deserve protection. The courts will sort out which principle governs here, but the facts police put on record leave very little room for ambiguity about what those kids experienced that afternoon.
