DOCARE Issues Citations for Illegal Entries at Diamond Head

DOCARE has cited at least 109 people for entering closed areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, including two Honolulu men late Monday. PC: DLNR

DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) has cited at least 109 people for entering closed areas or other violations of emergency rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, including two men late Monday.

To clarify state parks are closed, though you can cross through many of them to get to the beach.

Two, 21-year-old men from Honolulu were cited for entering a closed area — Diamond Head State Monument. Derwin Peng and Cole Chun were escorted out of the park by DOCARE officers through the park’s main entrance.

This took place after DOCARE received numerous reports of people entering the park, which is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just before 6 p.m. officers observed Peng and Chun on an upper footpath on the Ewa side of the crater rim, according to a DLNR press release. Officers contacted the pair on the path and brought them out the main entrance due to low light conditions and the unsafe, rocky terrain.

As of last Friday, across the state, DOCARE officers issued a total of 107 citations for various violations associated with emergency rules. Many were for entering a closed state park, various other state park violations (such as alcohol possession) and parking violations.

DOCARE officers continue to patrol closed State Parks and are enforcing all Hawai‘i laws and administrative rules, DLNR said in its press release. In addition to the citations, they’d given out 304 warnings as of last Friday.

A day earlier a DOCARE officer contacted a man walking his dog through Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline in East O‘ahu. The main claimed he didn’t know the park was closed, even though he was standing next to yellow police tape and directly beneath a park closed sign, the DLNR said.

“We hope everyone will take these closures and emergency rules seriously, not only to protect themselves and our natural resources, but to respect the primary reason for our current closures … the requirements for social distancing,” said DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla.