HONOLULU (AP) — A jury has acquitted two men accused of assaulting an employee during a brief takeover of Hawaii's historic Iolani Palace.
Donald Alfred Love-Boltz of Iowa and Robert Roggasch of Maui were involved in the seizure last August by the Native Hawaiian sovereignty group, which claims the authority to govern the islands.
The jury issued its verdict in less than two hours following a trial with conflicting testimony about the roles they played during an altercation between the protesters and the employee.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of another Maui man charged in the assault case.
In an earlier trial, group leader James Akahi was convicted of simple trespass. He claims to be the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
King Kalakaua completed Iolani Palace in 1882. It served as the residence for his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last ruling monarch.
