Former Kaua‘i Police Department Employee Indicted For Felony Theft

A former employee of the Kaua‘i Police Department has been indicted for fraud and theft by a Kaua‘i County grand jury.

State Attorney General Holly T. Shikada announced that Mikalynn Hiranaka was indicted May 11 on charges connected with alleged conduct from 2017-19 involving funds collected on behalf of the state while she was employed as a clerk in the police department’s Records Division.

According to a press release, Hiranaka faces charges in the indictment of first-degree computer fraud, a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of no more than $50,000, and first-degree theft, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Hiranaka surrendered to law enforcement May 12 and was released after posting a $10,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear for arraignment and enter a plea May 24 in Circuit Court in Līhuʻe.

“We thank the Kaua‘i Police Department for bringing this matter to our attention and for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this matter,” Shikada said in the press release. “Employees of government in the state of Hawai‘i, whether at the state or local level, are public servants who must be held accountable when they engage in misconduct. The Department of the Attorney General is dedicated to vigorously investigating and prosecuting such allegations to the full extent of the law.”

Marco Valera, a Kaua’i County spokesman, told Kaua’i Now on Tuesday, May 17, in an email that the AG’s office is handling all inquiries and requests about the indictment at this time.

The investigation was coordinated by the state Department of the Attorney General Investigations Division and the Kaua‘i Police Department.