Kea‘au Man Arrested for Illegal Firearm

A Kea‘au man was arrested during a court-ordered eviction for having an illegal firearm.

Paul Abiley, 31, is facing a felony firearms charge. He was booked at the Hawai‘i County Police Department, Hilo Substation and held over the weekend for arraignment today in Hilo District Court, according to a news release issued Monday by the state Public Safety Department.

Deputy sheriffs assigned to the Hilo Section of the Sheriff Division were assigned to enforce a court-ordered writ of possession in Kea‘au on Feb. 5 in a property occupied by a male, female, and a 4-year-old and 2-year-old toddler. Deputies removed all four occupants from the residence. While clearing the home for threats and hazards the deputies were alerted that there was an unregistered firearm in a closet. Deputies recovered the firearm which was described as a 12-gauge shotgun with a shortened barrel of approximately 7.5 inches.

They also recovered approximately 27 rounds of shotgun ammunition.