Hāmākua Coast Crime Report: July 2017 

Hawai‘i Police Department’s Hāmākua Coast Community Police responded to four burglaries, five incidents of criminal property damage, eight thefts, five drug-related incidents and four vehicle break-ins in the Hāmākua Coast District in July 2017.

Also see “BIG ISLAND NOW CRIME STORIES” below for articles about specific incidents.

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

4 BURGLARIES

1. At a vacation rental in the Umauma Bridge Subdivision in Ninole, unknown suspects made entry into the upstairs master bedroom sliding door by cutting a screen window and unlocking the sliding door. Nothing was removed and the suspects appeared to have been squatting in the residence for a few days, as several beds were messed up and food items were left in the refrigerator. The suspects left through the front door. The landscaper contacted the owner, who said that no one had permission to be at the residence.
2. At a residence on Leopolino Road in Ninole, unknown suspect(s) removed a Segway, two five-gallon gas cans and a portable power supply from an unlocked storage room in the garage area.
3. At a storage shed on Loihi Road in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect(s) entered the shed and removed Makita power tools, a power inverter, solar panel, timer, speaker, amplifier, a women’s bicycle, golf cart battery and deck chairs without permission.
4. At a residence on Puakalo Street in Honoka‘a, an unknown suspect possibly used a spare key to enter the residence and remove a crocheted blanket without permission.

5 CRIMINAL PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENTS

1. At a residence on Papa‘aloa Road in Laupahoehoe, unknown suspect(s) entered a fenced property through and unlocked gate and punctured the front right tire of the owner’s John Deere tractor.
2. At a business on the Old Māmalahoa Highway in Ninole, an unknown suspect damaged the hinge of a green metal 20-foot shipping container. No items were removed from the container.
3. At a property on Maile Street in Honoka‘a, a male suspect, 58, was arrested after review of video surveillance showed the suspect spray paint and graffiti a real estate sign, gate key pad, and waring sign posted on a gate.
4. At a location off of the Old Māmalahoa Highway in Honoka‘a, an unknown suspect sprayed graffiti on a cattle trailer.
5. At a residence off of Ka‘apahu Road in Honoka‘a, an 80-year-old male suspect was arrested after he broke a glass sliding door and made a large hole in a garage door.

8 THEFTS

1. At a residence on the Old Māmalahoa Highway in Ninole, an unknown suspect removed a Chinese brand Wiwo cell phone from his room without permission.
2. At a residence in the Umauma Bridge Subdivision in Ninole, unknown suspect(s) cut the fence on the north side of the property and cut the lock to gain entry into a 20-foot container. A Red Snapper Pro riding lawn mower, Orange Stihl weed eater/edge trimmer and a silver Highland Rampart were removed without permission.
3. At a business on the Old Māmalahoa Highway in Ninole, unknown suspect(s) removed a Cargo Mate utility trailer without permission.
4. From a residence on Lehua Street in Honoka‘a, a male suspect, 52, forged the victim’s check in the amount of $350 and cashed it without permission. There is a forgery investigation in progress.
5. At a location on the Māmalahoa Highway near the 35-mile marker, unknown suspect(s) removed a battery from an unlocked compartment of a Dynapc Mini Roller that was parked and unattended.
6. At a residence on Pohakea Mauka Road in Pa‘auilo, an unknown suspect removed his 2011 Chevy Tahoe late in the evening and a few hours later recovered early in the morning on Apelehama Road.
7. At a business on Mamane Street in Honoka‘a, an unknown suspect removed a red bag the victim left on the floor in another room.
8. At a residence located off of the Honoka‘a-Waipio Road, unknown suspect(s) removed a Rigid brand tool box from the back of the victim’s truck that was parked and unattended.

5 DRUG-RELATED INCIDENTS

1. At a vacation rental in the Umauma Bridge Subdivision, unknown suspect(s) left a dried green nugget of marijuana on a dresser of an upstairs bedroom. This is a connect up to the previous mentioned burglary where suspects were squatting said vacation rental.
2. (2–5) At a business on Akia Street in Honoka‘a, a male suspect, 31, was arrested for several drug offenses after officers while conducting beat checks, observed M-31 to be in possession of a glass pipe, zip packets and methamphetamine. There were three connect-up investigations to this report.

4 VEHICLE BREAK-INS

At a baseyard on Lepoloa Road in Ninole, unknown suspect(s) entered a company truck by smashing the window, opening the hood and attempted to remove the battery without permission.

At a quarry in Ahualoa in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect(s) entered the victim’s vehicle which was parked and unattended and removed his wallet from the front passenger seat without permission.

At the Waipio Valley Lookout in Honoka‘a, unknown suspect(s) entered the victim’s rental Jeep that was parked and unattended and removed her luggage without permission.

At a residence off of Ka‘apahu Road in Honoka‘a, a male suspect, 80, was arrested after he removed a car seat and diaper bag from a vehicle that was parked and unattended.

HPD ALERT

There have been a rash of burglaries and thefts in the Ninole area due to the rise in stolen vehicles islandwide and suspects bringing these stolen vehicles into the North Hilo and Honoka‘a Districts. The HPD stresses the importance of neighborhood watches below.

The Importance of Neighborhood Watches

First of all, What is a neighborhood watch? 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.

Officer Joseph ROCHA is the community officer for the North Hilo and Honoka‘a areas.

• North Hilo Station (808) 962-2120
• Honoka‘a Station(808) 775-7533

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

PoliceNon-Emergency
(808) 935-3311

CALL 9-1-1 FOR EMERGENCIES