Tulsi Gabbard’s brother, 55, charged after ‘trying to lure children as young as nine to hotel room with cash and gum’
TULSI Gabbard’s brother has been accused of attempting to lure children into a hotel room with the promise of money and chewing gum.
Bhakti Gabbard was charged in connection to the “stranger danger incident” at a Hawaiian hotel resort on July 12.
The 55-year-old allegedly approached minors, including a 9-year-old boy, offering them rewards if they followed him to his room.
Police say he also asked for the children’s name, writing them in his personal notebook.
All the children denied Gabbard’s alleged advances before he walked away.
Authorities were alerted to shocking reports after a 42-year-old woman contacted the police.
Police were able to quickly identify Gabbard as the suspect and arrested him on Friday.
He has since been charged with second-degree custodial interference.
Gabbard, who suffers from mental health issues, started to spiral after smoking marijuana in recent days, his dad, state Sen. Mike Gabbard said.
“Our oldest son Bhakti has had mental issues in the past but has been doing well for the last 10 years,” he told KITV.
“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.
A concerned family brought Gabbard to hospital for psychological evaluation when he told doctors they would find “cocaine, ice and pot in his blood tests”, according to NY Post.
He has since been placed on a 72-hour hold at Queen’s Hospital as officials continue to monitor his condition, his parents revealed.
On Thursday, Gabbard was arrested for separate allegations.
He appeared in court on Friday morning pleading not guilty to charges of theft.
While he is due back in court on August 14 for this incident, no date has been set for the custodial interference case.
Tulsi Gabbard is the former US Director of National Intelligence and a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii.
She became one of Donald Trump‘s most prominent officials before stepping down in May.
It was revealed her husband had been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.
