Hāmākua Coast Crime Report: February 2018

Hawai‘i Police Department’s Hāmākua Coast Community Police responded to two burglaries, 37 thefts, two drug-related incidents, one assault, two vehicle break-ins, one vehicle theft and five criminal property damage incidents in February 2018.

There were no sexual assaults or robberies (taking property of another with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear) reported in this time frame.

The complete list of locations and incident details are as follows:

2 BURGLARIES (entering of a building or residence with the intention to commit a theft or any felonious crime)

1. At a residence in Waipio Valley in Honoka‘a, the victim reported that her kitchen window screen was cut and household items removed to include a four-gallon propane tank, a clear glass jar containing granola bars, almond butter, a purple kitchen lighter and a black plastic bucket with lid. Estimated value of items taken is $106.
2. At a business on Pakalana Street in Honoka‘a, unknown suspects entered the business through an unsecured door and removed four laptops and a 10-pound bag of pre-sliced sausage. Estimated value of items taken is $1,586.

37 THEFTS (unauthorized taking of property from another with the intent to permanently deprive that person of the property) (30 cases were connect-up investigations)

1 On Highway 19 and the 23 mile marker in Laupahoehoe, an employee from state highways reported that an unknown suspect removed a tool box containing miscellaneous tool from the back of a tractor that was parked and unattended for an hour. The estimated value of the tool box and tools take in $150.

2 At a business on Kihalani Homestead Road in Laupahoehoe, an 18-year-old female failed to return an HP Chrome Book Laptop. The estimated value of the laptop is $400.

3 At a business on Plumeria Street in Honoka‘a, an unknown suspect removed numerous pieces of medication from a lock box without permission. Estimated value of the medication taken is $192.

4–34 At a business on Mamane Street in Honoka‘a, the suspect issued a check in the amount of $700 to themselves, two laptop computers ordered for the business and not received, and numerous checks in the amount of $13,000 were issued to themselves over a three-year period. There were 29 connect up thefts initiated with this report.

35 At a residence on Honoka‘a-Waipio Road, the victim reported a total of 12 ducks missing. The estimated value of the missing ducks is $240.

36 At a business on Mamane Street in Honoka‘a, a battery was removed from a John Deere riding lawnmower without permission. Estimated value of the missing battery is $50.

37 At a business on Mud Lane in Honoka‘a, damaged the sunroof/hatch to gain entry into a Hawthorne Cat Log Loader. Miscellaneous items were removed to include the stereo, gauges, a turbo charger and other miscellaneous items. Estimated value of items taken is $118,000. The master report is a criminal property damage investigation was initiated for the damage to the sunroof.

2 DRUG-RELATED INCIDENTS

1, 2 On Highway 19 and the 24.3 mile marker in Laupahoehoe, Chalyn Logan, 27, was arrested for DUI, Promotion of a Dangerous Drug 2 and Drug Paraphernalia after her vehicle was located at the above intersection. Upon contact with Logan, she was sleeping in the driver’s seat with a container of marijuana and glass smoking pipe on the front passenger seat in plain view.

1 ASSAULT

1. At a business on Pakalana Street in Honoka‘a, a 16-year-old girl was in an altercation with a 14-year-old girl. The older girl’s hair was pulled, she was struck on the head and pushed into a door,
   causing bruising, red marks, a scratch and pain.

2 VEHICLE BREAK-INS

1. At a residence on Rikard Place in Honoka‘a, the victim reported his Ford Ranger was broken into and a rifle removed and his Dodge pickup truck broken into and credit card holder with items removed. A connect-up Theft 1 investigation was initiated for the theft of the rifle.
2. At a residence on Mamane Street in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect(s) entered the unsecured rear sliding glass door of Toyota pick up truck and removed several tools without permission.

1 VEHICLE THEFT

1. At a residence on Plumeria Street in Honoka‘a, a 28-year-old woman borrowed the victim’s vehicle and has failed to return it.

5 CRIMINAL PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENTS

1. At a residence on Manowaiopae Homestead Road in Laupahoehoe, a neighbor from
   across the street cut six ti leaf trees fronting the residence without permission. Estimated value of the damaged trees is unknown at this time.
2. At a residence on Kahana Drive in Honoka‘a, while a Toyota pick up truck was parked and unattended, an unknown suspect broke a window to a camper top. Estimated damage is unknown at this time.
3. At a residence under construction on Ho‘omau Street in Honoka‘a, unknown suspects dripped white paint onto the gravel driveway. Estimated damage is $50.
4. At a residence in Waipio Valley in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect(s) smashed the windshield of a Ford Ranger pickup truck and the right rear window of a Ford van. Both vehicles were parked and unattended in the driveway. Estimated damage is $365.
5. At a business on Mud Lane in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect(s) damaged the sunroof/hatch to gain entry into a Hawthorne Cat Log Loader. Miscellaneous items were removed, including the stereo, gauges, a turbo charger and other miscellaneous items. Estimated value of items taken is $118,000. A connect-up Theft 1 investigation was initiated. The estimated damage to the sunroof is $2005.

FRUIT THEFT PREVENTION TIPS

There have been suspicious vehicles seen driving through our neighborhoods and stealing fruit along the Hāmākua Coast. If you get a license plate number and direction of travel and possibly a description of the occupants, call the non-emergency dispatch line at (808) 935-3311. Dispatch will send officers to the specified area to locate, identify and document their findings.

If you need further assistance, contact:

• Officer John Kari, Honoka‘a, (808)775-7533
• Officer Joseph Rocha, Laupahoehoe, (808)962-2120

VEHICLE BREAK-IN PREVENTION TIPS

The HPD suggests a few ways to lower your chance of becoming a victim of vehicle break-ins.

lso hide valuables such as electronics, mail, paystubs and tools. Bring the items
into your house for the night or place these items in the trunk or in the back passenger
floor area and cover it with a blanket or recycle bags to keep the items out of sight.

• Park in well lit areas whenever possible.
• Make sure to roll up your windows and lock your vehicle doors.
• Hide or remove any items of value from your vehicle, such as electronics, mail, pay stubs and tools.
• If you must leave valuable items in your vehicle place them out of view.

With these simple suggestions you will lower your chances of becoming a victim of theft and remember if you see suspicious activity call the police non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

BURGLARY PREVENTION TIPS

• Lock your doors and windows when you leave home.
• When you are on vacation try not to post pictures on social media until you return home.
• Become familiar with your neighbors and their vehicles.
• Be aware of strangers walking or driving around in your neighborhood. Burglars may be checking to see if your house is unoccupied.
• Keep trees and bushes trimmed to they don’t provide cover for burglars.
  Install motion sensor lights.
• Install an alarm system and or surveillance cameras.
• Be vigilant, don’t give criminals an opportunity to commit crimes.

SCAM ALERT

Hawaiʻi Island police are warning the public about scams involving phone calls to Hawaiʻi residents.

The tax season is here again. There have been a rash of phone scams that have been reported this past year and the most recent scam is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) phone scam.

The call usually comes in between 4 and 5 a.m. in the morning where the caller identifies themselves as a representative of the IRS. The caller identification (ID) on your phone usually comes from a number that may say IRS to support the call. The caller then informs you of an outstanding balance owed to the IRS and asks you to make a payment of whatever you can afford to avoid being arrested and driver’s or business licenses suspended. They sometimes become aggressive on the phone and also insulting.

If the call is received, do not give any information to the caller. The IRS wouldn’t give you a call if you owed money, it would be in the form of a letter from the IRS.

The IRS also informs that they do not ask for personal information including the last four digits of your Social Security Number, account numbers or pin numbers.  Some of the other characteristics for the call include being asked to make a payment using a pre-paid card (Green Dot Card from Walgreens) or wire transfer (Western Union). If you think this may be a scam you can call Tax Fraud Hotline at 1-(800) 829-0433 or visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov under “How do you report suspected tax fraud activity?”

If you see suspicious persons and or activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the police. The police non-emergency number (808) 935-3311 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

SAFE DRIVING REMINDER FROM HPD

Hawaiʻi Island police are reminding motorists about the dangers of speeding, disregarding stop signs, disregarding red lights and flashing pedestrian lights while in a school zone.

Children and school crossing guards have encountered numerous “near misses” during morning and afternoon hours in crosswalks fronting elementary schools islandwide.

School crossing guards are present at most elementary schools to assist with the safe crossing of children and are trained to temporarily hold traffic until all children have completely crossed the roadway.

Sgt. Robert Pauole of the Traffic Services Section suggests motorists adjust their morning by 10 to 15 minutes to allow ample time for safe travel.

If you see suspicious persons and or activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the police.

Hāmākua Station
45-3400 Mamane St.
Honoka’a, HI
(808) 775-7533

Laupahoehoe Station
36-2283 Old Māmalahoa Highway
Laupahoehoe, HI
(808) 962-2120

Crime Stoppers
(808) 961-8300

Police Non-Emergency
(808) 935-3311

CALL 9-1-1 FOR EMERGENCIES

The Importance of Neighborhood Watches; Block Captains Wanted

A neighborhood watch is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within the neighborhood. The goal of the neighborhood watch is to educate the residents of a community on security and safety to achieve safe and secure neighborhoods. When suspicious activity is suspected, members are encouraged to call and report this activity.

Why is there a need for this partnership? With a limited amount of officers working per shift and with the task of having to cover from Umauma to Lake Land, having neighborhood watches provides more eyes and ears in the community to report and prevent suspicious activity.

How do you start a neighborhood watch? There are Five Steps to start a Neighborhood Watch:

1. Recruit/organize as many neighbors as possible.
2. Contact your area Community Police Officer to schedule a meeting.
3. Discuss community concerns and develop an action plan.
4. Hold regular meetings and train members on relevant skills.
5. Implement a phone tree and take action.

Those interested in forming a neighborhood watch in your area should contact the community police officer for your area.

Hāmākua Coast Community Police are looking for those who are interested in being a block captain in the Laupahoehoe and Ahualoa Neighborhood Watch areas. Contact your area community police officer or Neighborhood Watch Coordinators.

Officer John KARI for the Honoka‘a Area, Honoka‘a Station (808) 775-7533

Officer Joseph ROCHA for the North Hilo Area, North Hilo Station (808) 962-2120

A nuclear attack preparedness guide can be found online at the HI-EMA website.

RELATED LINK
Hāmākua Coast Crime Report: January 2018