Mountain View man gets 40 years for sexual assault, child abuse charges

A Mountain View man will spend 40 years in prison after admitting he sexually assaulted two minor relatives and helped create child-abuse images, a case that pulled in investigators from Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and federal agencies.

Hilo Circuit Judge Peter Kubota imposed two 20-year terms on Joseph Donald Tibbs, 45, and ordered them to run consecutively. Tibbs must also register as a sex offender. The sentence followed his July 21, 2025 guilty pleas and closed a case that moved from arrest to final prison term in about 10 months.

Prosecutors said Tibbs was first charged in June 2025 after a grand jury returned a wide-ranging indictment tied to conduct that allegedly happened between Feb. 1 and May 29, 2025. The original counts included seven first-degree sexual assault charges, two counts of first-degree promoting child abuse, two counts of second-degree promoting child abuse, two counts of incest and two counts of using a computer in the commission of a separate crime. In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped 11 other counts, including additional sexual-assault allegations and incest counts. Court records described the victims as two female relatives, both at least 14 but younger than 16.

The case also carried child-pornography allegations. Investigators said Tibbs produced or helped make photos or videos involving the victims, disseminated child pornography and possessed at least 30 images, including one depicting a child younger than 12. Police said a search warrant at his residence recovered numerous electronic devices and other evidence, and the Maui Police Department helped recover and analyze the devices during the investigation. Prosecutors also said the abuse appeared to have continued for about a year and that the case remained active at one point as investigators looked for possible additional victims.

The investigation was led through a collaboration that included the Hawaii State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Hawaiʻi Police Department, the Hawaiʻi County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and Homeland Security Investigations. The ICAC network, created in 1998 to confront internet-facilitated child exploitation, now links 61 coordinated task forces nationwide. Kelden Waltjen, Hawaiʻi County’s prosecuting attorney, said the outcome sent a strong message that people who exploit family trust and prey on keiki will be held accountable.

For Puna families and schools, the case is a reminder that intrafamily abuse and online exploitation can overlap, and that early reporting can bring in the wider law enforcement network needed to protect children. Hilo’s sentence showed the court was prepared to stack prison terms when the facts and plea agreement supported it.