Tulsi Gabbard's Brother Charged With Custodial Interference After Waikīkī Hotel Pool Incident

Batarti Gabbard, the 55-year-old older brother of former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, has been charged with second-degree custodial interference following an incident at a Waikīkī hotel pool on July 12, according to the Honolulu Police Department.

Police say that around 2 p.m. that day, Gabbard approached several children at the pool, including a 9-year-old boy, and asked for their names, writing them down in a notebook. He then allegedly offered the children money and gum if they would accompany him to his hotel room. The children refused, and he walked away, according to police.

A 42-year-old woman who witnessed the encounter reported it to Honolulu police, which opened an investigation the same day, according to a police press release cited by Hindustan Times. Police did not publicly identify a suspect until July 17, when they named Batarti Gabbard, also known as Bhakti, and charged him.

This was not Gabbard's only brush with the law that week. According to Honolulu station KITV, he was separately arrested July 16 on a theft charge. He pleaded not guilty to that charge Friday morning, was released, and has a court date set for Aug. 14. No court date has yet been scheduled on the custodial interference charge, and Honolulu police confirmed to Fox News Digital that Gabbard is no longer in custody.

Family Says He's in Psychiatric Care

Gabbard's father, Hawaii state Sen. Mike Gabbard, who represents Kapolei, Makakilo, Ewa and Ko Olina, declined to discuss the specific allegations but confirmed his son is receiving medical and psychiatric treatment. "We love him, and asked him to follow the protocol at the hospital, which he says he will do," the elder Gabbard told Fox News Digital. "We're praying for his speedy recovery, and would appreciate the prayers of others."

Sen. Gabbard told Hawaii News Now that his son has been on drugs and was going through a mental health episode, and that he was admitted to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation Friday afternoon, according to Thought Catalog. The family's explanation represents a disclosed medical circumstance rather than speculation, and it is relevant to assessing how the case may proceed.

The conduct police allege at the pool, however, remains central to the charge. A man is accused of approaching multiple children, recording their names, and offering them incentives to go to a private hotel room. A judge and prosecutors will weigh this conduct independently of the family's public statements.

Batarti has a prior record. Thought Catalog reported he was booked in Las Vegas in May 2013 on suspicion of battery, following multiple earlier arrests in Clark County, Nevada that included drug-possession charges. Sen. Gabbard said at the time the family was "deeply pained and heartbroken," loved their son, and encouraged him to seek treatment. The family is repeating that message now, more than a decade later.

The Tulsi Gabbard Connection

Tulsi Gabbard, a former Hawaii congresswoman, served as Director of National Intelligence under President Trump before resigning. Her last day at ODNI was June 30, and she informed Trump of her decision during an Oval Office meeting in mid-May, according to Hindustan Times. She has said she stepped down to care for her husband, Abraham Williams, who was diagnosed with a rare sacral chordoma, a rare bone cancer, and underwent a nearly seven-hour surgery.

Fox News Digital reached out to Tulsi Gabbard's public office for comment on her brother's case and left a voicemail. She had not responded as of Saturday.

Thought Catalog reported the family's longstanding ties to the Science of Identity Foundation, a Vaishnava Hindu group founded by Chris Butler, which the Gabbard parents joined after moving to Hawaii in the 1970s. Former members have described the group as cult-like; the organization and family dispute that characterization.

Police have not released the name of the hotel or additional identifying details about the children involved, consistent with standard practice in cases involving alleged offenses against minors, according to Sunday Guardian.

The custodial interference case remains open with no scheduled court date. Gabbard's theft case is set for a hearing Aug. 14. Whether prosecutors add charges, or whether his ongoing psychiatric treatment factors into the proceedings, is still unresolved.