RIDGELAND, SC (July 11, 2025) – A Georgia man who held a nurse hostage with a pair of stolen scissors is headed to prison.
Marc Kaikala, 40, of Savannah, Ga., pleaded guilty Thursday to kidnapping and first-degree assault and battery for his role in a May 27, 2023, attack on a hospital employee. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Kaikala was in the emergency room at Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville when he stole a pair of scissors from a passing certified nursing assistant and attacked the nurse who was treating him. Kaikala dragged the nurse toward an exit with the scissors pressed against her neck.
“This dangerous situation could have ended very differently if not for the quick and brave actions of the victim and fellow healthcare workers,” said Logan Mallett of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “This defendant needed to be held accountable for his actions, and that happened this week.”
Kaikala received 12 years for the kidnapping charged and 10 years for the assault and battery. The charges are to be served concurrently. Kaikala was scheduled to go to trial during the Aug. 18 term of Jasper County General Sessions Court but pleaded guilty to those charges Thursday.
Circuit Court Judge Robert J. Bonds handed down the sentence.
Kaikala’s previous convictions from Hawaii includes burglary and unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle (2006).
Mallett primarily prosecutes cases in Jasper County and has been with the Solicitor’s Office since 2023.
