HPD’s Keith Simeona Named Officer of the Month

(L) Aloha Exchange Club Member John Stewart and (R) Officer Keith Simeona. Courtesy photo.

The East Hawaiʻi Aloha Exchange Club has named Officer Keith Simeona as Officer of the Month of June.

Officer Simeona is an 11-year veteran assigned to the South Hilo District as a community policing officer.

On June 7, 2018, an anonymous male party called police dispatch and said that he found a black police bike in the water off of Bayfront Highway and that he put it up on the sand. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a black Cannondale bike with police logos on it across the street from the Mo‘oheau Bus Terminal.

Officer Simeona went to the Mo‘oheau Police Substation and noticed that there were pry marks on the substations front door and found that entry was made and two bikes were missing.

While conducting interviews, Officer Simeona made contact with a female witness who said that she observed a man with one of the stolen police bicycles in the Downtown Hilo area at around 2:30 a.m. that morning. With a physical description and first name only given to Officer Simeona by this witness, he was able to come up with a possible suspect’s name by connecting past contacts.

On June 7 at around 10 p.m., South Hilo Police officers located the suspect in Hilo and arrested him for his outstanding warrants and second-degree theft (of the bicycles).

On June 9, police charged the suspect with one count each of first-degree theft, second-degree theft, second-degree burglary and burglary of a building during an emergency period. His bail was set at $42,000.

Officer Simeona’s persistence and dedication led to the arrest and charging of the suspect in this investigation. The extra effort that he put forward was paramount in the location of the stolen items and subsequent charging of the suspect.

His hard work models the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s core values of professionalism and teamwork.