Woman Arrested in Connection With Stolen Vehicle

Mele Gasaloga. HPD photo.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department’s task force charged a woman in connection with a stolen Hyundai sedan that was taken from a Pāhoa residence on June 17.

On Monday, July 7, officers were responding to report of an active vehicle theft with the suspect vehicle heading into Hilo at a high rate of speed, recklessly overtaking other motorists on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway.

Police encountered the vehicle on the Puainako Street extension in Hilo and identified the driver of the Hyundai as a Mele Gasaloga.

Police briefly pursued the vehicle, but discontinued the pursuit for safety reasons as the suspect continued to speed and overtake vehicles over the double solid yellow lines on Komohana Street.

On Wednesday, July 26, task force officers located Gasaloga at an Oceanview Drive residence in Hilo. She was arrested on two bench warrants and transported to the Hilo cellblock.

On Thursday, July 27, police charged Gasaloga with resisting an order to stop and for driving a stolen vehicle. Her bail has been set at $20,000 pending her initial appearance on Friday, July 28, in District Court. Both offenses are classified as felonies.

Anyone with information about these incidents or any stolen vehicle is asked to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3111 or Sgt. James Correa of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2272 or James.Correa@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

This information was provided by the authorities; individuals are considered innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.