Puna Man Charged With Firearm Offenses

The Hawaiʻi Island Police Department has charged a 20-year-old Puna man who was caught with a concealed firearm.

At 12:52 a.m., Wednesday morning, Oct. 18, 2017, while on routine patrol, an officer encountered a group of people at the Wailoa Boat Ramp on Manono Street.

The officer recognized one of the men in the group who was acting suspiciously. He was aware that this individual had been known to carry firearms. During his encounter with the male party, the officer recovered a revolver tucked in the man’s waistband.

At 12:53 a.m., the suspect, Eric Wilson Jr., was arrested for having a firearm on him and taken to the Hilo cellblock while detectives continued the investigation.

Thursday afternoon, Oct. 19, police charged Wilson with the firearm offenses classified as “a place to keep a pistol, ownership prohibited, permit to acquire and registration mandatory.”

Wilson remains at the Hilo cellblock in lieu of $85,000 bail pending his initial appearance in South Hilo District Court on Oct. 20.

Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Detective Kayne Kelii of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2378 or email Kayne.Kelii@hawaiicounty.gov.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 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. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.