Hāmākua Coast Crime Report: July 2018

Hawai‘i Police Department’s Hāmākua Coast Community Police responded to one burglary, four thefts, two vehicle break-ins, one vehicle theft, nine criminal property damage incidents, two drug-related incidents and one assault, and issued 21 DUI citations in July 2018.

There were no sexual assaults or robberies reported in this time frame.

The complete list of locations and incident details are as follows:

1 BURGLARY

1. At a business on Hauola Road in Pa‘auilo, unknown suspects broke into the business and removed a tent and gardening tools.

4 THEFTS

1. At a field on Hawai‘i Belt Road near the Umauma Bridge in Ninole, a male suspect removed several bunches of banana without permission.
2. At the entrance to Niupea Homestead Road in O‘okala, unknown suspects removed the tires from a message board trailer without permission.
3. At a residence on Maluhia Road in Ninole, during a domestic abuse incident, a Samsung smart phone was taken without permission. This is a connect-up report to an abuse investigation.
4. At an area off of Kaunamano Road in Kalopa, unknown suspects removed two frame bolts from a grass cutter without permission.

2 VEHICLE BREAK-INS

1. At a bridge between the 18/19 mile markers on Hawai‘i Belt Road in Ninole, unknown suspects smashed a window to a rental vehicle and removed several items without permission.
2. At an area east of Hiilawe River in Waipio Valley, unknown suspects entered the unsecured drivers side door to an unattended Toyota pickup truck and removed a back pack, canvas tool bag and hammer without permission.

1 VEHICLE THEFT

1. At a residence on Maluhi Road in Ninole, a 30-year-old male suspect, after being in a physical altercation with the victim, a 34-year-old female, took the woman’s Toyota pickup truck without permission. There were several cases to include a domestic abuse investigation, criminal property damage and theft investigations initiated along with this incident.

9 CRIMINAL PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENTS

1. & 2. At a residence on Maluhia Road in Ninole, after being in a domestic abuse, a 34-year-old woman reported that her estranged boyfriend, 30, smashed her Samsung smartphone and took the phone without permission. The woman also reported that a few days prior, the same man smashed the front windshield of her Toyota pickup truck, causing damage. Several cases were initiated with the master report being two separate domestic abuse investigations.
3. At a business on Lehua Street in Honoka‘a, the victim’s bumper was scratched after the suspect stacked old tires in the back of his pickup truck.
4. At the area of the 38 mile marker on Hawai‘i Belt Road in Pa‘auilo, unknown suspects shattered the rear window of a tractor mower.
5. At a business on Lehua Street in Honoka‘a, unknown suspects damaged the gate of a loading dock.
6. At a business on Holualoa Road in Pa‘auilo, an unknown suspect damaged the door to a storage shed; nothing was taken.
7. At a residence on Leuhua Street in Honoka‘a, a landlord reported a tenant broke the glass window of a wooden door.
8. While parked and unattended on Manane Street in Honoka‘a Town, the victim reported that an unknown suspect damaged both side mirrors of his vehicle.
9. At a residence on Old Māmalahoa Highway in Honoka‘a, the victim reported his wife kicked the passenger door of his vehicle causing damage.

2 DRUG-RELATED INCIDENTS

1. At a residence on Pikake Street in Honoka‘a, while officers made checks for a wanted person, with permission to search the residence a crystalline substance was recovered.
2. In the area of the 45 mile marker on Hawai‘i Belt Road in Honoka‘a, several marijuana plants were turned in to authorities at the Honoka‘a Police Station.

1 ASSAULT

At a residence on Hala Street in Honoka‘a, a 59-year-old woman reported being scratched on the hand causing pain by a 20-year-old woman who left the residence prior to officers arrival.

21 DUIs

During the week of Aug. 6 through 12, 2018, Hawaiʻi Island police arrested 21 motorists for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Three of the drivers were involved in a traffic accident. One of the drivers were under the age of 21.

So far this year, there have been 691 DUI arrests compared with 705 during the same period last year, a decrease of 2%. The numbers of arrests by district were:

DUI Arrests by District

There have been 762 major accidents so far this year compared with 825 during the same period last year, a decrease of 7.6%.

To date, there were 18 fatal crashes (two of which had multiple deaths), resulting in 20 fatalities, compared with 19 fatal crashes, (one of which had multiple deaths), resulting in 21 fatalities for the same time last year. This represents a decrease of 5.3% for fatal crashes, and 4.8% for fatalities.

DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide.

SAFE DRIVING REMINDER FROM HPD

Hawaiʻi Island police are reminding motorists about the dangers of speeding, disregarding stop signs, disregarding red lights and flashing pedestrian lights while in a school zone.

Children and school crossing guards have encountered numerous “near misses” during morning and afternoon hours in crosswalks fronting elementary schools islandwide.

School crossing guards are present at most elementary schools to assist with the safe crossing of children and are trained to temporarily hold traffic until all children have completely crossed the roadway.

Sgt. Robert Pauole of the Traffic Services Section suggests motorists adjust their morning by 10 to 15 minutes to allow ample time for safe travel.

VEHICLE BREAK-IN PREVENTION TIPS

The HPD suggests a few ways to lower your chance of becoming a victim of vehicle break-ins.

• Park in well lit areas whenever possible.
• Make sure to roll up your windows and lock your vehicle doors.
• Remove any items of value from your vehicle.
• If you must leave valuable items in your vehicle place them out of view.

With these simple suggestions you will lower your chances of becoming a victim of theft and remember if you see suspicious activity call the police non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

BURGLARY PREVENTION TIPS

• Lock your doors and windows when you leave home.
• When you are on vacation try not to post pictures on social media until you return home.
• Become familiar with your neighbors and their vehicles.
• Be aware of strangers walking or driving around in your neighborhood. Burglars may be checking to see if your house is unoccupied.
• Keep trees and bushes trimmed to they don’t provide cover for burglars.
  Install motion sensor lights.
• Install an alarm system and or surveillance cameras.
• Be vigilant, don’t give criminals an opportunity to commit crimes.
• If you see suspicious persons and or activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the police.

If you see suspicious persons and or activity, don’t hesitate to report it to the police.

Hāmākua Station
45-3400 Mamane St.
Honoka’a, HI
(808) 775-7533

Laupahoehoe Station
36-2283 Old Māmalahoa Highway
Laupahoehoe, HI
(808) 962-2120

Crime Stoppers
(808) 961-8300

Police Non-Emergency
(808) 935-3311

CALL 9-1-1 FOR EMERGENCIES

The Importance of Neighborhood Watches; Block Captains Wanted

A neighborhood watch is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within the neighborhood. The goal of the neighborhood watch is to educate the residents of a community on security and safety to achieve safe and secure neighborhoods. When suspicious activity is suspected, members are encouraged to call and report this activity.

Why is there a need for this partnership? With a limited amount of officers working per shift and with the task of having to cover from Umauma to Lake Land, having neighborhood watches provides more eyes and ears in the community to report and prevent suspicious activity.

How do you start a neighborhood watch? There are Five Steps to start a Neighborhood Watch:

1. Recruit/organize as many neighbors as possible.
2. Contact your area Community Police Officer to schedule a meeting.
3. Discuss community concerns and develop an action plan.
4. Hold regular meetings and train members on relevant skills.
5. Implement a phone tree and take action.

Those interested in forming a neighborhood watch in your area should contact the community police officer for your area.

Hāmākua Coast Community Police are looking for those who are interested in being a block captain in the Laupahoehoe and Ahualoa Neighborhood Watch areas. Contact your area community police officer or Neighborhood Watch Coordinators.

Officer John KARI for the Honoka‘a Area, Honoka‘a Station (808) 775-7533

Officer Joseph ROCHA for the North Hilo Area, North Hilo Station (808) 962-2120

A nuclear attack preparedness guide can be found online at the HI-EMA website.

RELATED LINK

Hāmākua Coast Crime Report: June 2018