Puna Man Accused of Assaulting, Threatening His Wife

A Puna man was taken into custody after allegedly assaulting his wife and threatening to kill her, officials reported Thursday.

George Anthony Cruz III, 28, was charged with terroristic threatening, kidnapping, assault, and other offenses in connection to an incident that occurred on Feb. 4.

At approximately 11:10 a.m., Puna patrol officers responded to a report of a woman being threatened by her husband. According to a press release from Hawai‘i County Police, officers came into contact with a 28-year-old who told police her husband, later identified as Cruz, “threatened to kill her multiple times with a firearm, assaulted her and at one point, held her against her will.”

At about 2:30 p.m. the same day, officials say, officers located Cruz while making checks at a residence in Hawaiian Paradise Park. He was arrested after a brief foot chase. During a search warrant of the residence, police recovered a firearm with ammunition.

Cruz, who was also wanted on several warrants, was initially held at the police cellblock but was remanded to the custody of the Hawai‘i Community Correctional Center.

Cruz was charged on Thursday with with first-degree terroristic threatening, kidnapping, felony abuse of a family household member, ownership prohibited and carrying/using a firearm in the commission of a separate felony. Bail was set at $160,000 and he is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Friday.