4 More Cited for Loitering in Lava Area

The Fissure 8 lava fountain pulses to heights of 165 feet within a cinder spatter cone. Fissure 8 feeds lava into the well-established channel that flows to the ocean. PC: USGS HVO

Four more people have been cited by officers from the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement for being in a closed East Rift Zone eruption area, bringing the total to 80.

Monday afternoon, June 25, 2018, at about 4:45 p.m., four men were spotted by DOCARE officers in an area north of MacKenzie State Recreation Area.

All four were cited on two charges: loitering in a disaster area and simple trespass.

They are identified as Mitchell Shroyer, 30, of Wisconsin; Christopher McWherter, 36, of California; Nicholas Allen, 27, of California; and Joshua Allen, 32, of California.

At least 80 people have been cited by DOCARE officers and officers from the Hawai‘i County Police Dept., since the eruption began in early May.

Penalties, if convicted, can be fines as high as $5,000 and a year in jail.